Tens of thousands of students and workers marched across Italy on Friday, October 30, demanding more funding for education and relief from rising living costs.1,3
The nationwide day of strikes and protests brought school and university students demanding more funding for schools and support for housing together with workers. Demonstrators criticized the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over low wages, rising fuel prices and military spending, and the marches followed weeks of student tent camps and school occupations with a general strike bringing workers into the streets alongside them.1,3
Demonstrations took place in dozens of cities, including Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Genoa and Naples. Police were deployed in large numbers after earlier protests descended into rioting, and the government tightened security measures in a bid to control potential unrest seen in Italy and other European states in recent weeks.1,3
In Rome, security was increased around the Colosseum, Italy's most visited tourist attraction, while Milan's cathedral also received special protection. In Turin, a few skirmishes between protesters and riot police occurred at the start of the protest there.3
In Rome, 21-year-old university student Beatrice Chilelli said students were "at a breaking point."1
"They can't afford to pay exorbitant tuition fees, and rent... which weighs heavily on their parents' shoulders," Chilelli said. Students demanded more money for schools and universities and support for housing.1
The USB trade union called for a general strike that attracted large numbers of demonstrators, including truck drivers, taxi drivers and farmers. Rallies in recent weeks have demanded an end to higher fuel prices and rising defence spending.3
The unions also issued a joint call with peers in France, Greece, Spain, Turkiye and Morocco demanding an end to the wars in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza and "an end to the militarisation of ports."3
"Ports must not be used for the transport of weapons, ammunition, military equipment and troops," the statement said. "Dockworkers do not work for war!"3
The government last week agreed on a 175 million euro ($195 million) aid package for truck drivers, farmers and fishermen hit by soaring fuel prices linked to the war in the Middle East. The prices paid in Italy for food, energy, transport and bills have risen by 68 percent since 2000, while the average wage fell by almost 5 percent.3
Measures to support young people and families, including an annual bonus of 2,500 euros for workers under 30, have been inserted into the draft 2027 budget currently being discussed among the governing parties. Meloni addressed those measures at a news conference on Wednesday.3
"I hope this can provide answers for young people in general… who feel that the state doesn't care about them," Meloni said, stressing that the measures were "not for those who smash windows." Following clashes over the weekend of October 17-18 between youth and police in Milan, in which groups of mainly young people looted shops and smashed windows, Meloni toughened laws on public gatherings and eased restrictions on the detention of minors. The draft budget remains under discussion among the governing parties.3
