A nationwide strike brought together workers, students, housing rights groups and farmers.
On Friday, thousands of people demonstrated in major Italian cities against far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the high cost of living and military rearmament.
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The protests took place as part of a general strike called by the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) and were supported mainly by students, public-sector workers and housing rights organizations.
Rome was one of the main focal points of the demonstrations, with a protest encampment outside the Colosseum set to remain in place through Sunday.
The largely peaceful demonstrations spread across cities including Milan, Florence, Naples, Genoa, Turin and Bologna, as well as several locations in Sicily.
“Workers, working-class communities, homeless people and agricultural producers have mobilized against the economic crisis this government is imposing on us to finance rearmament and military spending that have nothing to do with the interests of the population,” USB Director Stefano De Angelis said, noting that more than 1.5 million people had taken part in protests held across the country.
👥 Roma, sciopero generale: circa 100mila manifestanti secondo le stime dell’USB.
Il corteo di studenti e lavoratori, partito da piazza dei Cinquecento, è tornato alla stazione dopo aver attraversato la città. Video di Maurizio Leggeri e Diariodigitale pic.twitter.com/PwJ3GMkRVK
— Italia 24H Live 🔴 – Notizie dall’Italia (@Italia24HLive) October 30, 2026
The text reads, “General Strike in Rome: approximately 100,000 protesters, according to USB estimates. The march of students and workers, which set off from Piazza dei Cinquecento, returned to the station after moving through the city.”
Protest Encampment Outside the Colosseum Through Sunday
In Rome, the main demonstration drew at least 20,000 participants and set off from Piazza del Cinquecento toward the area surrounding the Colosseum.
Once there, organizers announced their intention to occupy Via dei Fori Imperiali, the avenue connecting central Piazza Venezia with the monument, and set up tents through Sunday, when a national assembly is scheduled to take place.
The initiative, organized by the USB and the Lotta per la Casa collective, aims to turn the site into a space for mobilization and participation by the various groups that have joined the protests across Italy.
“This demonstration does not end here. We will continue mobilizing through Sunday, when we will hold a major national assembly in this square, beneath the Colosseum, attended by representatives of all the demonstrations taking place across the country today,” De Angelis said.
The union leader also denounced restrictions preventing demonstrators from approaching Montecitorio, the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, describing them as “anti-democratic.”
“In any country where demonstrations are held against the government, people can reach government and parliamentary buildings. In Italy, this is prohibited,” he said.
“We will stay here, outside the Colosseum, through Sunday to show that this city, too, must be a place for participation in protest mobilizations.”
Sciopero generale, studenti e lavoratori insieme nelle piazze: “Siamo centinaia di migliaia”. Da Milano a Napoli occupate le tangenziali https://t.co/wolYZWxUmR
— Elio Lannutti (@ElioLannutti) October 30, 2026
The text reads, “General strike, students and workers together in the streets: ‘There are hundreds of thousands of us.’ From Milan to Naples, ring roads occupied.“
Clashes and Roadblocks
The day’s main episode of tension occurred in Turin, in northern Italy, where clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in the central Piazza Castello.
Participants in the march threw eggs, bottles and red paint at riot police, who responded with charges and high-pressure water hoses.
After the clashes, participants returned to the occupied university campus and announced a new gathering for 6 p.m. local time to continue the protests. Objects were also thrown at police in Rome, near the Colosseum.
The strike also caused major traffic disruptions, particularly in Bologna, in northern Italy, where demonstrators blocked access roads to several educational institutions and marched along the ring road, forcing the temporary closure of the A14 highway.
In Genoa, in northern Italy, participants blocked access to the port, while other demonstrations disrupted daily activities in major Italian cities.
Friday’s strike marks the beginning of a series of mobilizations in Italy that will continue Nov. 20 with a general strike across all sectors called by the CGIL, the country’s largest trade union confederation, and a taxi-sector strike scheduled for Dec. 14.
The day was marked by a heavy security presence across the country following violent incidents reported Oct. 17 and 18 in Milan, Turin and Bologna. Those incidents prompted Meloni’s government to approve an extraordinary security decree and deploy 500 military personnel to support police forces.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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