A wave of protests that swept across Europe on Saturday escalated into clashes in Italy and Albania. In Rome, police used water cannons and tear gas, while bottles filled with incendiary mixtures were thrown at security forces in Tirana.
Italy: 371 detained
Thousands of people took to the streets in Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Florence to protest against war, rearmament and the rising cost of living. Police said 371 people, including 110 minors, were briefly detained in eight cities, while nine people were arrested.
In Rome, demonstrators tried to march from Largo di Santa Susanna to government buildings, but police confronted them with water cannons and tear gas.
Police water cannons pushed the crowd back.
A column carrying Italian and Palestinian flags reached the Colosseum.
A group of masked people entered the Colosseum and caused disorder there before police removed them.
In Rome, 43 young people were taken to a police station, where balaclavas, gloves, masks and keffiyehs were found. Police continued dispersing the crowd in the evening.
Bologna and Turin
In Bologna, about 300 participants in a march organized by Palestinian youth and student groups clashed with police on Via Riva di Reno, built barricades and set rubbish bins on fire. Medical teams responded to 17 calls, and six people were hospitalized.
Protesters burned a poster depicting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In Turin, stones, bottles and firecrackers were thrown at police, while more than 10,000 people took to the streets in Milan. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said that “there will be no safe havens,” promising an immediate response to those organizing attacks and disorder. A case was opened against Youssef Siher, founder of the October 17 Movement, on suspicion of incitement.
Tirana: ministry building set on fire
In Albania’s capital, thousands of students, cultural figures and opposition supporters joined another anti-government demonstration demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. The student protest began at 14:00 outside the Education Ministry, which was pelted with stones.
Protesters set fire to the Environment Ministry building and used petrol-filled bottles to ignite the main entrances of the Agriculture Ministry and Tirana City Hall. Emergency crews extinguished the fires.
Demonstrators launched fireworks toward police.
Masked people threw Molotov cocktails at police officers and water cannons. The clothing of one police officer appeared to catch fire, and colleagues came to help him.
In one video, a police officer beats a protester with a baton.
Authorities said more than 300 demonstrators and police officers were injured, while dozens of people were detained. Clashes in the country have continued since mid-October. Prime Minister Rama blamed organized crime and foreign forces for the violence.
