Italy Strikes: 1.5 Million Protest Living Costs, Military Spending

Italy experienced widespread demonstrations on October 30 as the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) grassroots trade union organized a general strike across over 60 cities. Organizers reported that 1.5 million workers, students, and other participants took to the streets to protest soaring living costs, high military spending, inadequate public services, and government policies under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Student groups estimated participation at up to 2 million people. The marches were held simultaneously in major cities including Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, and dozens of other locations, with participants carrying signs demanding "Money for schools, not for war" and protesting the cost-of-living crisis affecting housing, energy, and transportation.

While most demonstrations remained largely peaceful, violent clashes broke out in several cities. In Rome, protesters broke away from the main march near the Colosseum, where they threw objects at police, overturned trash containers to create barricades, and set fires. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons. In Turin's Piazza Castello, police deployed water cannons and charged at protesters after a group attempted to breach a cordon protecting the prefect's department. In Vicenza, clashes resulted in four police officers and three protesters sustaining injuries when some demonstrators attempted to occupy a city bypass. Police used water cannons and tear gas; protesters responded with smoke bombs and fireworks aimed at officers. Eight people were detained in Rome for attempting to breach police barricades.

The October 30 protests followed earlier violence during the weekends of October 17–18 and October 26, when rioting and looting occurred in Milan and subsequent clashes erupted in Turin, Rome, and Bologna. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi acknowledged ongoing security concerns but stated that alert levels remained consistent with previous periods. He expressed confidence in local authorities' ability to manage the situation and noted that mainstream trade unions had distanced themselves from fringe radical elements.

The strike also coincided with an international action by dockworkers across more than 40 Mediterranean and European ports, who ceased operations to protest arms trade, port militarization, and involvement in military operations. Port blockades were reported in Naples, Livorno, and Genoa. The government had previously deployed 500 army troops alongside police in Milan through year-end and introduced stricter penalties for rioters, including potential prison sentences up to five years and fines of approximately €17,000 for joining protest groups deemed to endanger public safety. The government also made parents liable for vandalism or looting by their children.

Participants cited multiple grievances: prices for food, energy, and housing have risen 68 percent since 2000 while average wages fell nearly 5 percent. Student and worker groups emphasized that military spending diverts resources from education, healthcare, housing, and social services. The Meloni government had announced a €175 million aid package for truck drivers, farmers, and fishermen affected by fuel price increases linked to Middle East conflicts, and proposed measures including a €2,500 annual bonus for workers under 30 in the draft 2027 budget. Prime Minister Meloni stated on social media that "vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality," distinguishing between peaceful demonstration and illegal activity.