Italy Braces for 'Autumn of Discontent' as Students Protest
Thousands of students and union members marched as teachers sought higher pay and hauliers threatened a national blockade over energy costs.
- On Friday, students protested nationwide over school conditions while a teachers' union demanded wage increases and new hires. Thousands rallied outside the education ministry in Rome, where police reported bottles and flares were thrown.
- Real wages fell 6.6 percent between 1990 and 2026, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, while September inflation reached 4.2 percent year-on-year. These economic pressures fueled various protest initiatives against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government.
- Students occupied schools in several cities and pitched tents in Rome, Milan, and Bologna to protest living costs. Police clashed with protesters in Turin during the national day of marches.
- Christian Ferrari, a leader of the major CGIL trade union, told AFP, "Italy is in a dramatic economic and social crisis." Ferrari said the protests aim to keep living conditions at the centre of the electoral campaign.
- The hauliers' union Conftrasporto threatened a "national blockade," denouncing "the climate of tension created by the unbearable situation linked to the surge in energy prices." Economist Veronica De Romanis noted youth frustration stems from seniority-based pay structures.
116 Articles
116 Articles
This day of intense tension goes towards the end in which, in addition to drivers, thousands of students have protested all over Italy. The reason for the demonstrations? Politics...
Pictures from the capital of Piedmont
After France, a wave of student protests has reached Italy, with dozens of schools closed, buildings occupied and clashes with police in some places. Students are angry about poor learning conditions, insufficient funding for education and reforms being implemented by the government of Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni. Protesters are also criticizing the government for increasing military spending and demanding more money for education.
Autumn is agitated in Italy, where there are multiple challenges related to the cost of living, the cost of fuel and rent, but also education, and some protesters dream of doing the same in France, reports AFP.
Several thousand students and high school students demonstrated this Friday in peace in Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna or Genoa. They mobilized against the government, which wants to increase the defence budget and capped the number of foreign students per class. - In Italy, a start of protest that resembles France (International).
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
