Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Over 40 demonstrations by workers and students crisscrossed the country from north to south on Friday, October 30th. Tensions and clashes erupted in Turin and Rome, where eight people were arrested following the riots and 300 were identified. Over 255,000 people participated in the demonstrations in Italy, according to estimates by public safety authorities.
But according to the USB, there were "over a million" participants. In the capital alone, according to organizers, "one hundred thousand" took to the streets. "Over 50" in Milan, where the ring road was overrun for over three hours. At least ten police officers were injured, according to the initial reports of the demonstrations between Mestre and Vicenza.
In Rome, some protesters attempted to break through towards Circus Maximus.
Law enforcement responded to bottle and firecracker attacks with water cannons. Shortly before, after a demonstration at the Ministry of Education involving egg-throwing, a group attempted to reach Parliament but were stopped by a police charge. Eight students were arrested in the capital, where students, still on the streets, repeatedly attempted to break through the police barriers to reach government buildings.
Shouting 'procession, procession,' the students, finding access to Ponte Sisto closed, headed towards Ponte Garibaldi.
They attempted to cross the bridge but were confronted by armored vehicles. They then continued along the Lungotevere toward Tiber Island, also patrolled by law enforcement. Officers in riot gear closed off Via del Corso near Piazza Colonna, with armored vehicles positioned across the road. The Sordi Gallery is also under constant surveillance to prevent unauthorized entry toward Montecitorio and the government headquarters. A similar security cordon has been established behind Palazzo Chigi.
In the late afternoon, around 300 students near Via Claudia began throwing objects—including rocks and Molotov cocktails—at law enforcement officers, who responded with a relief charge. They set fire to garbage cans and bicycles, which were thrown into the middle of the road to block their passage.
To the chant of "Meloni, we're coming," thousands returned to Turin's streets this evening to protest the high cost of living and rearmament. The new demonstration was promoted by the Einaudi Campus occupiers and Torino per Gaza. The march opened with a banner reading "Every campus will be a barricade. We won't pay for the war." "We're tired of this life, of no longer being able to buy groceries or gas, tired of a collapsing healthcare system, of schools falling to pieces, and of a university where job insecurity is devastating," the protesters chanted through a megaphone. "And in the face of all this, the government's response is nothing." "This," they added, "is a new movement that will take to the streets every Saturday until things change. We're not tired, and we won't get tired. Today, like the next Saturdays, we must become increasingly numerous, until we block every artery in this country." In the afternoon, clashes broke out in Piazza Castello, where the march advanced against the line of law enforcement officers protecting the prefecture building. During the advance, eggs, water balloons, and several plastic and glass bottles were thrown at the officers. Law enforcement responded with relief charges and the use of water cannons. Two people were injured and taken away by ambulance. They, along with three others, will be checked and taken to the police headquarters.
Tensions had already erupted when the march, which had started from Palazzo Nuovo, reached Via Po, and the march from the occupied Einaudi Campus attempted to join it, only to be blocked by law enforcement. A few people pushed and shoved, and smoke bombs were set off, accompanied by chants of "police out of the march."
In Milan, approximately 25 people took to the streets. For three hours, protesters against the high cost of living "invaded" the eastern ring road, filling all lanes and heading toward Cascina Gobba. A battery of firecrackers also exploded. On the stretch between Cascina Gobba and Lambrate, the protesters—over 30 workers and students—held a huge banner reading "Gen Maranza," adding over a megaphone: "We are all Maranza, if you like to call us that." A sign quoted the statement published on the pages of the "Movimento 17 ottobre," administered by Youssef Siher: "The state is pissing on us and the media says it's raining."
Some graffiti in black paint also appeared on the traffic island of the ring road: 'Salvini and Meloni hanged' and 'Free Gaza'.
In Naples, after more than an hour of negotiations with law enforcement officers blocking access, protesters peacefully invaded the Bausan gate at the Port of Naples. During the demonstration, other marchers also threw counterfeit paper money into the flames.
"Once again, we must recognize the competence and professionalism with which our law enforcement agencies have managed dozens of demonstrations in the country's major cities. This demonstrates that security must be pursued as a fundamental safeguard to guarantee the exercise of all freedoms. All the measures deployed were distinguished by their balance and effectiveness: qualities that have allowed us to protect a fundamental right of citizens, the right to demonstrate peacefully, despite the attempts of some individuals to provoke disorder and violence." This was stated by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, speaking of the demonstrations held today in several Italian cities.
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