Europe's student riots spread to Italy as hooded protesters clash with cops sparking chaos in cities

Europe's student riots have spread to Italy, where cities are being plagued by clashes between police officers and hooded protesters. 

Thugs threw petrol bombs, firecrackers and glass bottles at cops in cities across the country in protest against worsening school conditions and the high cost of living. 

Hooded and masked students were seen spraying fire extinguishers at riot police as a baying crowd cheered them on. 

The national protests echo those seen in France and Belgium over the last few weeks. Like their counterparts in Italy, students in those nations have been up in arms over the state of education. 

Many demonstrators also called for a cap on the number of foreign students able to study in Italy.

Some also rallied against Italy's ballooning defence budget, calling for money to be spent on education instead of the military. 

In Rome, students marched up to the Ministry of Education, throwing firecrackers and smoke bombs at the building. 

Referencing education minister Giuseppe Valditara, they repeatedly chanted: 'Valditara, get out of the building!'

Rioters were seen on Via Marmorata donning balaclavas and hoodies. 

Local media reported a group of around 50 set up barricades with rubbish bins in the middle of the road.  

Cops in Rome said they were using videos to identify those who were violent at the protests, adding: 'The actions of this minority group, however, did not impact the effectiveness of the public order management strategy.'

Protests against Mr Valditara and prime minister Giorgia Meloni took place in Genoa, where rioters threw eggs at posters with their faces. 

In Turin, police were forced to use water cannons against rioters. Refusing to retreat, the protesters threw rocks at them. 

Thousands of rioters in the city marched to the Regional School Office, where after throwing eggs at cops, they lit a small cardboard tank on fire to protest the use of taxpayer money for arms. 

Teachers in the city were seen joining the protests, standing between police and students as human shields. 

At one high school in the city of Treviso, local media reported students clambered out of windows to join the march. 

La Repubblica reported that many students from the Canova High School jumped out of windows and over school gates amid claims that school authorities had locked the exits to prevent them from joining the protests. 

In Bari, students said they were rallying against poor schooling conditions that they said were unacceptable in the face of increased funding for 'warmongering'.

The marchers said in a statement: 'In our schools, every day we see dilapidated buildings, cancelled school assemblies, and a lack of spaces for social interaction and democracy, with all the consequences of the funds invested in the war sector and diverted from schools, universities, and healthcare due to the policies of this warmongering government.'

According to Nato data, Italy has been increasing its defence spending year on year since 2019.

2025, the latest budget, saw the country spend more than €45billion on defence – an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared to 2024. 

Meanwhile, the country shrank education spending between 2024 and 2025, going from 4.3 per cent of GDP to 4.1 per cent. 

It comes as France is set to be swept by broader, nationwide demonstrations on Saturday over the cost of living, setting up a potentially fraught period ahead of presidential elections next year.

The prospect of the two movements merging, perhaps with outbreaks of violence, poses a big challenge to the government – and an opportunity for far-Left and far-Right presidential candidates jockeying for power.

The country's Yellow Vest movement, which eight years ago staged street protests against President Emmanuel Macron and his government, called Saturday's 'yellow and youth' demonstrations and urged millions to turn out.

It has appealed to teachers, workers, pensioners and farmers, as well as students, in an online call spread through social media.

'I have a feeling that (Saturday) will be a sort of culmination,' 18-year-old Marie-Lou, a protesting university student in the city of Lille, told AFP.

'We'll be joined by workers and by the Yellow Vests, who are also mobilising again. There's a sense of hope that all these different struggles might converge.'

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Friday ordered a crisis cell be set up to monitor the demonstrations in real time. On Thursday he said he feared clashes after what he called 'urban violence' during the student protests.

Mr Lecornu is under pressure to get a cost-cutting budget through parliament. It aims to tackle France's growing public debt by raising more tax revenue and reducing expenditures.

Yet the Yellow Vest and student movements are demanding the government spend more money.

They want protection from inflation, which has surged above three per cent because of the Middle East war, and a boost to public services, particularly education.