Italy: Clashes on ‘No Meloni Day’ leave 15 officers injured

A day of unrest unfolded in Turin as more than 200 students took to the streets for a ‘No Meloni Day’ protest against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Protesters broke through a police barricade outside the prefecture building in Piazza Castello, clashing with officers and damaging nearby businesses.

The students threw a homemade device at the police, injuring 15 officers, who were treated in hospital.

Demonstrators also set fire to a puppet representing Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara.

The students displayed banners opposing the government’s policies, with the slogan “Against the government of war, cuts and university reforms.”

They also voiced their anger over the conflict in Gaza, calling it “the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The National Museum of Cinema at the Mole Antonelliana was also reported to have been attacked by protesters.

“The Italian flag was torn down, some walls were defaced, and museum staff were subjected to violence. While we respect the right to bear witness to the pain of those who have suffered and are suffering, we firmly condemn actions such as these,” said Enzo Ghigo and Carlo Chatrian, president and director of the National Cinema Museum.

Reactions from political leaders

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence, saying on X, “I hope that certain politicians will stop protecting or justifying this violence and unite, without ambiguity, in condemning such serious and unworthy episodes.”

She continued, “Even today we witnessed unacceptable scenes of violence and chaos in some squares, by the usual troublemakers. Several law enforcement officers ended up in the emergency room due to bombs and clashes. My full solidarity goes out to all the injured officers, wishing them a speedy recovery.”

Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, also expressed support for the police. “On behalf of the entire Democratic Party, I express my solidarity with the police officers injured by the stinging fumes of a homemade bomb in Turin,” she said.

“The right to protest, demonstrate, and strike must never be confused with violent aggression against anyone.”

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara responded to the incident in which a puppet of him was set on fire, commenting on X, “Valditara upside down, shouted under the ministry. And are these the democratic interlocutors? The Italian school does not need replicas of the extremists of the 1970s.”

Protests also took place in Bologna and Milan

In Bologna, students staged a demonstration in which they burned the text of the school rules proposed by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara.

The protest also targeted Prime Minister Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, with placards and slogans directed at them.

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In Milan, demonstrators defaced portraits of Meloni, Valditara, and other officials, splattering them with red paint to symbolise blood.

The students marched chanting “Against the school of the bosses, ten hundred thousand occupations” and “We are all anti-fascists.”

Palestinian flags were also waved, and another photo of Meloni was displayed with the slogan “accomplice to genocide.”