Florence Student Protest Turns Tense as Police Charge, Tram Blocked

More than a thousand students marched in Florence on Saturday as part of the "Movimento 17 ottobre," with protests turning tense as police charged and blocked the tram line after the demonstration deviated from its agreed route. The march began peacefully at Piazza Santa Maria Novella at 4 p.m., growing to over 1,000 participants, and proceeded to Piazza Santo Spirito before authorities blocked access to Via Tornabuoni, where shops had been boarded up preemptively. After three hours of standoff, protesters threw bottles and firecrackers, prompting police charges, with one council member struck by a baton. Around 8:30 p.m., about 150 remaining demonstrators moved to the tram tracks in Via Valfonda, halting service. Earlier, police detained roughly ten individuals found with balaclavas and gas masks. A counter-protest of about 100 people, including ultras, gathered nearby chanting nationalist slogans.