Processions and demonstrations in various Italian cities, from Rome to Turin, from Milan and Bologna
"Demonstrating is a right. Placing our cities on fire is not. I renew my request to the opposition: let them not be ambiguous on this. Let them unambiguously condemn this violence and launch a clear appeal for every mobilization to be peaceful. In the face of scenes like this, the refusal must be unanimous. Every reticence becomes justification. Silence is not acceptable", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media, publishing a video of the riots in Piazza Duomo in Milan and speaking of "thugs who exploit demonstrations to sow chaos, attack those who guarantee security and hold entire cities hostage".
Procession in Milan, throwing stones at the police
Clashes in Piazza del Duomo, in Milan, where the diehards of the disbanded procession in Cordusio, several hundred, divided into small groups and gathered in the churchyard of the Duomo, targeted the police who launched tear gas and carried out micro charges of lightening. The boys throw barriers, porphyry and paper bombs. And on three occasions, hundreds of them together, they attacked the police deployment in the center of the square, the police retreated and the demonstrators devastated and looted a Carabinieri car, damaging the armored vans. The violent boys hold the square and the equestrian monument, erect barricades.
Many moments of tension between via San Prospero and piazza Cordusio, where for about ten minutes the police were targeted by groups of young people dressed in black and with their faces covered. These are not black blocs, but kids from the suburbs, who also waved the Albanian flag to praise the ongoing revolt in Tirana. Broken glass, overturned construction sites, tables on the floor, shoes. Young people, passers-by and tourists look on under the porticoes in shock, their eyes red from the tear gas.
A heavy stone throw started in the direction of the police in via Broletto, in the center of Milanoi. The police in riot gear carried out a lightening charge. ATM shelters and windows on the first floors of some historic buildings were damaged. Some paper bombs and fireworks were thrown.
The demonstrators remaining in the Piazza Duomo area set fire to an area near the equestrian monument. A barricade made with the tables of some devastated bars was also set on fire in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The water cannon was returned to the square to put out the flames.
Some boys were stopped and identified.
Procession in Turin, brawl among the demonstrators themselves
Brawls broke out between demonstrators on two occasions in Turin during the demonstration against the high cost of living. The organizers of the event ordered some very young people to take off their hoods and march with their faces uncovered. A small group that attempted to overtake the head of the procession by running along the arcades of Via Po was also blocked by the same demonstrators.
Once they reached Piazza Vittorio Veneto, a bottle was thrown at the police departments on site.
"What happened this afternoon in Turin is very serious and must be firmly condemned. The episodes of violence, acts of vandalism and damage are unacceptable behaviour, which affect our city and put people's safety at risk". Thus the mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, after the procession. "Demonstrating and expressing one's ideas peacefully - added the mayor - is a fundamental right, which must always be respected and protected. Violence represents the exact opposite of this principle and deserves a clear, unambiguous condemnation. Our full solidarity goes to the women and men of the police involved in the clashes, to the traders and shopkeepers who have suffered damage and inconvenience and to all the people who have experienced moments of tension and fear".
Clashes in front of the Bologna station between young demonstrators and the police
Clashes in front of the Bologna station between young demonstrators and the police. In Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, water cannons and tear gas were used and there was a lot of throwing of stones and objects by hooded children. Dozens of Mobikes, rental bicycles, have been thrown to the ground. The air is acrid and the protest, from the square in front of the station, is moving towards the surrounding avenues with the use of water cannons and tear gas towards the central Via Indipendenza.
In Rome the CGIL
"On 20 November the CGIL will proclaim a general strike": this was announced by the general secretary of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, from the stage of the Via Maestra demonstration in Piazza del Popolo in Rome, asking for answers from the government in view of the budget maneuver and recalling that the European students' strike will take place on 20 November.
Tajani: "Violence is unacceptable and those from the opposition fan the flames"
"The right and freedom to demonstrate are sacrosanct, but the right of all citizens to safety and that of the police not to be attacked is no less important. Violence and vandalism are totally unacceptable and must be condemned, in Milan as in Bologna, Turin and in the other cities crossed in these hours by groups of troublemakers". Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani writes this on
Sala: "The reasons for the protest are understandable, the violence is unjustifiable"
"The reasons for the protest were understandable. The violence against the police and the serious damage to the city are unjustifiable": this is what Mayor Giuseppe Sala said after the day of guerrilla warfare in which the city was the protagonist. "Politics can decide to exploit, in search of electoral consensus. Or - he added - to face this difficult historical moment wisely: I hope this is the choice".
