Mass Protests Sweep Italy Following Call for General Strike

Tens of thousands of protesters, mostly students and workers, took to the streets across Italy on Friday to demand higher wages and improved public services, while protesting the rising cost of living and opposing increased military spending.

The main trade union confederation called for a 24-hour general strike, with demonstrations organized in more than 40 cities.

The protests were largely peaceful, coming after clashes earlier this month between protesters and police that involved looting and vandalism. However, police in Turin used water cannons to disperse students and left-wing activists who approached the security perimeter around the city hall.

In Rome, a massive march passed near the Colosseum, where protesters said they planned to set up tents and stay until the beginning of next week. Some trash bins were placed in the middle of streets and set on fire.

In Genoa, around 15,000 port workers, students, and other protesters entered the port, joining similar demonstrations across Europe and other regions against the use of ports for shipping weapons, and to highlight the deaths of sailors in conflicts stretching from the Gulf to the Black Sea.

Several European countries, including France, Spain, Belgium, and Albania, are experiencing a wave of protests driven by a range of grievances, foremost among them complaints about the rising cost of living.