Europe's student riots have spread to Italy, where cities are being plagued by clashes between police officers and hooded protesters.
asserted
cities → spread → officers
Thugs threw petrol bombs, firecrackers and glass bottles at cops in cities across the country in protest against worsening school conditions and the high cost of living.
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Thugs → throw → living
Hooded and masked students were seen spraying fire extinguishers at riot police as a baying crowd cheered them on.
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crowd → see → them
The national protests echo those seen in France and Belgium over the last few weeks.
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protests → echo → weeks
Many demonstrators also called for a cap on the number of foreign students able to study in Italy.
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demonstrators → call → Italy
Some also rallied against Italy's ballooning defence budget, calling for money to be spent on education instead of the military.
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money → rally → education
In Rome, students marched up to the Ministry of Education, throwing firecrackers and smoke bombs at the building.
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students → march → building
Referencing education minister Giuseppe Valditara, they repeatedly chanted: 'Valditara, get out of the building!'
Anti-riot police clash with protesters at Piazza Castello during students protests in Turin, Italy, October 16 2026
Students burn a cardboard tank during a national day of marches across Italyin Turin on October 16, 2026
Riot cops clashed with protesters across the country today
Rioters were seen on Via Marmorata donning balaclavas and hoodies.
Local media reported a group of around 50 set up barricades with rubbish bins in the middle of the road.
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group → reference → road
Cops in Rome said they were using videos to identify those who were violent at the protests, adding: 'The actions of this minority group, however, did not impact the effectiveness of the public order management strategy.'
Protests against Mr Valditara and prime minister Giorgia Meloni took place in Genoa, where rioters threw eggs at posters with their faces.
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rioters → say → faces
In Turin, police were forced to use water cannons against rioters.
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police → force → rioters
Refusing to retreat, the protesters threw rocks at them.
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protesters → refuse → them
Thousands of rioters in the city marched to the Regional School Office, where after throwing eggs at cops, they lit a small cardboard tank on fire to protest the use of taxpayer money for arms.
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they → march → arms
Teachers in the city were seen joining the protests, standing between police and students as human shields.
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Teachers → see → shields
At one high school in the city of Treviso, local media reported students clambered out of windows to join the march.
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students → report → march
La Repubblica reported that many students from the Canova High School jumped out of windows and over school gates amid claims that school authorities had locked the exits to prevent them from joining the protests.
uncertain
authorities → report → protests
In Bari, students said they were rallying against poor schooling conditions that they said were unacceptable in the face of increased funding for 'warmongering'.
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they → say → warmongering
Demonstrators carry a banner calling for a general strike on October 30 as they march during a student protest in Rome, Italy, October 16, 2026
Students take a part of school strike on October 16, 2026 in Turin, Italy
A student jumps over the fire on October 16, 2026 in Turin, Italy
The marchers said in a statement: 'In our schools, every day we see dilapidated buildings, cancelled school assemblies, and a lack of spaces for social interaction and democracy, with all the consequences of the funds invested in the war sector and diverted from schools, universities, and healthcare due to the policies of this warmongering government.
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we → carry → government
According to Nato data, Italy has been increasing its defence spending year on year since 2019.
2025, the latest budget, saw the country spend more than €45billion on defence – an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared to 2024.
uncertain
country → accord → 2024
Meanwhile, the country shrank education spending between 2024 and 2025, going from 4.3 per cent of GDP to 4.1 per cent.
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country → shrink → cent
It comes as France is set to be swept by broader, nationwide demonstrations on Saturday over the cost of living, setting up a potentially fraught period ahead of presidential elections next year.
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France → come → elections
The prospect of the two movements merging, perhaps with outbreaks of violence, poses a big challenge to the government – and an opportunity for far-Left and far-Right presidential candidates jockeying for power.
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movements → merge → power
The country's Yellow Vest movement, which eight years ago staged street protests against President Emmanuel Macron and his government, called Saturday's 'yellow and youth' demonstrations and urged millions to turn out.
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which → stag → millions
It has appealed to teachers, workers, pensioners and farmers, as well as students, in an online call spread through social media.
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It → appeal → media
'I have a feeling that (Saturday) will be a sort of culmination,' 18-year-old Marie-Lou, a protesting university student in the city of Lille, told AFP.
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Lou → have → AFP
'We'll be joined by workers and by the Yellow Vests, who are also mobilising again.
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who → join → Vests
There's a sense of hope that all these different struggles might converge.'
uncertain
struggles → be → hope
A masked demonstrator raises an arm amid smoke and overturned rubbish bins at a student protest during clashes with police in Rome, Italy, October 16, 2026
Teachers stand between students and police as a national protest takes place in Turin on October 16, 2025
Masked demonstrators stand behind overturned rubbish bins as coloured smoke rises at a student protest during clashes with police in Rome, Italy, October 16, 2026
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Friday ordered a crisis cell be set up to monitor the demonstrations in real time.
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cell → raise → time
On Thursday he said he feared clashes after what he called 'urban violence' during the student protests.
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he → say → protests
Mr Lecornu is under pressure to get a cost-cutting budget through parliament.
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Lecornu → get → parliament
It aims to tackle France's growing public debt by raising more tax revenue and reducing expenditures.
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It → aim → expenditures
Yet the Yellow Vest and student movements are demanding the government spend more money.
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government → demand → money
They want protection from inflation, which has surged above three per cent because of the Middle East war, and a boost to public services, particularly education.
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which → want → services
The Aporia
