Thousands of people demonstrated against police violence in Rome after students were injured in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
After schoolchildren and students were injured during pro-Palestinian protests in Pisa and Florence last Friday, there was a demonstration against the police and interior ministers in Rome on Sunday night. Matteo Piantedosi he came. Around a thousand people, mostly students, gathered not far from the Ministry of the Interior and demanded the minister's resignation. Police blocked access to the square in front of the Ministry of the Interior.
After several student protesters were injured by police during Friday's protests, the Minister of the Interior was attacked. “The rules for maintaining public order have not changed and this time too we will not shy away from evaluating what happened”, assured the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.
He hopes that demonstrations will always be peaceful in the future. Asked whether he would report to parliament the incidents in Pisa and Florence, as demanded by the opposition, he said he was open to discussions that he hoped would not be aimed at impoverishing the government or hastily discrediting the police forces.
indignation
President Sergio Mattarella distanced himself from police violence on Saturday after speaking with Piantedosi. Student demonstrations in Florence and Pisa were blocked by the police. Images of police beating school-age protesters with batons in Pisa have sparked outrage on social media and among politicians.
“There is little tolerance for political differences and protests here. There is a collective responsibility on the part of the government that is fueling a repressive climate”, criticized former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, leader of the opposition Five Star Movement. He condemned the “silence of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has had many hours since the events in Pisa to take a clear position.”