Protests against the high cost of living were held in several Italian cities on November 14, with the march in Turin attracting the most attention. More than 300 people set off from Piazza Castello, demanding measures to counter rising food, fuel and utility prices. Students from the occupied Palazzo Nuovo university building also joined the demonstration.
Participants linked their social demands to criticism of increased military spending. “It is not fair for families to be forced to make sacrifices because of high prices and rearmament,” protesters said during the march. They chanted that they did not want to pay for war and called for public funds to be directed toward people and public services.
During the march, a group of young people broke away from the main column and briefly entered a Coop supermarket on Corso Novara. Inside the store, the protesters displayed a banner against rising prices, then left and continued along the route. According to ANSA, the action did not lead to tension or clashes.
There was also mobilization in Milan, where several hundred people protested against high prices, rearmament and the policies of Giorgia Meloni’s government. The march followed an altered route and ended without any reported breaches of public order. Similar events were organized in other Italian cities.
The “Turin in the Square” movement said it would organize protests every Saturday until the authorities take measures against rising prices. The students announced that the occupation of Palazzo Nuovo would continue over the weekend and called for participation in a broader mobilization on November 20, when a nationwide strike is scheduled.
In Trieste, the protest was primarily dedicated to supporting migrants and volunteer organizations. Around 150 people gathered in Piazza della Libertà, according to an estimate by local police, while organizers put the number of participants at more than 250. They spoke out against restrictions on volunteer activities, including rules that, according to the organizers, limit assistance in public places to two hours a day and ban it at weekends.
Gianfranco Schiavone, president of the Italian Consortium of Solidarity, said that new shelters should be opened in Trieste. The organizers are also discussing a national demonstration in the city on December 5.
The Italian protests are unfolding against the backdrop of ongoing social mobilization in France. On November 14, students, trade unionists and representatives of the “yellow vest” movement took to the streets there for the fifth consecutive Saturday. Their demands include higher incomes and curbing the rising cost of living.
Sources: ansa.it, tg24.sky.it, bnrnews.bg