Italian students protest nationwide for a voice in civic life today

Italian students took to the streets nationwide to demand an active role in civic life, rejecting the label of "citizens of the future" in favor of being "citizens in the present." Protests occurred in Turin, Rome, Milan, and other cities. Students protested against poor school building conditions, scarce education funding, a decree limiting foreign students to 30 percent per class, and the 4+2 reform for technical and vocational institutes. Demonstrations coincided with Fridays for Future's national climate strike, with banners reading "Money to schools, not to war." The protests come amid concerns over the criminalization of dissent, including a security decree seen as discouraging participation in demonstrations. Recent incidents include minors arrested and fingerprinted in a Turin school, and police water cannons used on crowds. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had expressed sympathy for future protesters in her 2022 inaugural speech.