Thousands Protest Living Costs, School Conditions in Italy

Thousands of students and workers staged demonstrations across Italy on Friday, demanding better funding for schools and measures to ease the rising cost of living.

The demonstrations marked the largest mobilisation in a recent series of protests influenced by similar actions in France and Spain.

Students have led much of the movement, organising camp-ins and occupying school buildings to draw attention to their demands. Most of the protests in Italy passed peacefully.

Friday’s turnout was boosted by a general strike organised by the USB trade union, which brought out truck drivers, taxi operators, farmers and other workers.

Many have protested in recent weeks over rising fuel costs and increased defence spending.

The USB estimated that between one million and 1.5 million people joined demonstrations nationwide, according to AFP. Authorities did not release an official attendance figure.

In Rome, 16-year-old high school student Sofia Cataldi described deteriorating conditions in schools, including damaged facilities and rodent infestations. 

She called for safer, cleaner buildings and better prospects for young people.

“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,” the 16-year-old told AFP.

University student Beatrice Chilelli, 21, said financial pressures were pushing students to their limits. 

She pointed to high tuition fees and housing costs, noting that renting a single room in Rome could cost as much as €1,200 a month, placing a heavy burden on students and their families.

The Rome march began at the city’s main railway station, with two tractors and a taxi leading the procession past the Colosseum and the Economy Ministry. 

Demonstrars  carried flags and used megaphones to voice their demands, with some chanting for more housing rather than increased spending on weapons.

In Milan, demonstrators also gathered at the central railway station before marching towards the outskirts of the city. Organisers kept the procession away from the city centre, where young people had looted shops, damaged property and clashed with police during a separate cost-of-living protest two weeks earlier.

Students carried a banner declaring their determination to reclaim their future.

Among the demonstrators was 25-year-old Stefano De Finis, who expressed hope that the protests would produce lasting change. He said young people were uncertain how to achieve political change through elections scheduled for next year.

De Finis also pointed to Italy’s ageing population, arguing that older citizens needed to become more involved in the movement rather than leaving younger people to campaign alone.

Police officers in riot gear monitored demonstrations across the country. However, clashes were limited to a few locations.

In Turin, officers used batons to push back demonstrators and deployed a water cannon to prevent them from approaching the prefecture.

In Rome, AFP journalists witnessed some young demonstrators throwing bottles, overturning rubbish bins and setting one of them on fire towards the end of the march.

The latest demonstrations followed violent confrontations between demonstrators and police in Milan on October 17 and 18.

In response, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government introduced tougher rules on public gatherings while relaxing provisions for the detention of minors.

Last week, the government also approved a €175.2 million support package for truck drivers, farmers and fishermen affected by rising fuel prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

The draft 2027 budget, which governing parties are still discussing, includes proposed measures for young workers and families.

One proposal would provide an annual €2,500 bonus to workers under 30.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Meloni said the planned measures were intended to address concerns among young people who felt neglected by the state.

She added that the support was not designed for people who damage public property.