Italy Cost of Living Protests Sweep 40 Cities

Thousands of students and workers took to the streets across Italy on Friday, calling for more school funding and relief from the soaring cost of living, in protests that remained mostly peaceful. Backed by a 24-hour general strike, they were the biggest in a recent wave inspired by similar movements in France and Spain.

The grassroots union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) called the strike, with demonstrations organised in more than 40 cities. The union estimated to AFP that between one million and 1.5 million people took part across Italy on Friday. The authorities did not publish official numbers.

Students led much of the movement. They have set up tent camps and occupied schools to press their demands, and Friday’s marches carried one message: schools need money, housing needs support, and wages must keep pace with prices.

Rome, Milan, Turin and Genoa

In Rome, the march began at the main train station and passed the Colosseum and the economy ministry building. Protesters waved flags and shouted into megaphones. One group sang: “We need more houses, not bombs!”

Some protesters in Rome said they planned to set up tents and remain over the weekend. Towards the end of the demonstration, AFP reporters saw young protesters throwing bottles, knocking over rubbish bins and setting one on fire. Italian news agency ANSA reported that eight people were detained after repeatedly attempting to breach police barricades, and that police used a water cannon when a group tried to march towards parliament in the evening.

In Milan, the protest also began at the central train station, but then headed outside the city, far from the centre where young vandals had looted stores, destroyed property and clashed with police two weeks ago. Students unfurled a banner reading “Let’s reclaim our future”. In the crowd was Stefano De Finis, 25, who said he hoped the protests would lead to something lasting.

In Turin, police used batons and a water cannon to push back students and left-wing activists who approached security cordons protecting the prefecture building. In Genoa, around 15,000 port workers, students and other protesters entered the port, protesting the use of European ports for arms shipments and highlighting seafarer deaths in conflicts from the Gulf to the Black Sea.

Why students lead the Italy cost of living protests

The student grievances were voiced plainly on Friday. Roman school student Sofia Cataldi, 16, said conditions in her high school were not safe.

“We don’t want windows falling on our heads, and we don’t want mice in our schools. We want clean buildings, and I want to live in a better world than this one,” she told AFP.

University student Beatrice Chilelli, 21, said students were at a breaking point. They cannot afford exorbitant tuition fees and rent, she said, citing student housing in Rome that could reach 1,200 euros per month for a single room.

Workers joined for their own reasons. Truck drivers, taxi drivers and farmers have rallied in recent weeks over the spike in fuel prices and to oppose rising defence spending. The protests also demanded higher wages and stronger public services, and opposed increased military spending.

What the government has offered so far

The protests followed violent confrontations between demonstrators and police in Milan on October 17 and 18. After those clashes, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government toughened laws on public gatherings while easing rules on detaining minors.

Frequently asked questions

How many people took part in the Italy protests?

The USB union estimated to AFP that between one million and 1.5 million people participated across Italy on Friday. The authorities did not publish official numbers.

Which cities saw protests?

Demonstrations were organised in more than 40 cities, including Rome, Milan, Turin and Genoa, during a 24-hour general strike called by the USB union.

What were the protesters demanding?

They demanded more school funding, support for housing, higher wages, stronger public services and relief from the rising cost of living, and opposed increased military spending.

Were the protests peaceful?

The protests remained mostly peaceful, although police used water cannon in Turin and in Rome in the evening, some rubbish bins were set on fire in Rome, and ANSA reported eight people detained after attempts to breach barricades.