Italy and France have faced another weekend of massive protests, accompanied by clashes between demonstrators and security forces, the use of tear gas, water cannons and arrests. The balances published this Sunday, October 25, show that social tensions continue, although violence and destruction have been more limited than last weekend.
In Italy, protests on October 24th included Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna and other cities. Demonstrators opposed the rising cost of living, the policies of Giorgia Meloni's government and spending on armaments and wars.
The most violent clashes were recorded in Turin, Rome and Bologna, where groups of protesters threw stones, bottles and fireworks at the police. The forces of order intervened with tear gas, water cannon and crowd-dispersal operations. In Milan, where a week ago there had been looting and significant damage, this weekend's protests were largely peaceful.
According to the official Italian balance, 9 people were arrested across the country, 87 were reported and 371 were taken to police stations, including 110 minors. The police identified a total of 4,292 people.
In France, the scale of the mobilization was even greater. The Interior Ministry reported 410,000 participants in 289 protests across the country, while the CGT union estimated the number of demonstrators at around 800,000. In Paris alone, authorities said 110,000 people took to the streets.
The protests, fueled by dissatisfaction with the cost of living, economic inequality and lack of education funding, were accompanied by clashes in the capital and other cities. In Paris, groups of demonstrators threw objects and fireworks at police, who used tear gas and water cannons.
The balance sheet published on the morning of October 25 by the French Interior Ministry speaks of 1,314 people detained, 53 officers injured, 75 fire interventions and 24 businesses looted. The figures are significantly lower than those of October 17, when France experienced a much more severe wave of violence and destruction.
The governments of Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron have strengthened security measures in the face of protests, while unions and student movements continue to demand economic and social change.
