Europe
General strike in Italy: USB says 1.5 million took to the streets, clashes with police in Rome and Turin
The grassroots union USB staged protests in more than 60 cities against the cost of living and rearmament. Eight people were detained in Rome and seven police officers were hurt in Mestre.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 30, 2026, 22:00 · Updated 19:02 · 2 min read
In brief
- According to USB, about 1.5 million people protested in more than 60 Italian cities.
- Near the Colosseum a group broke away from the march, put up barricades and threw bottles; police detained eight people.
- In Milan, protesters blocked part of the eastern ring road for about an hour and a half.
Italy was hit on Friday by a general strike called by the grassroots union USB, with protests against the rising cost of living and rearmament in Europe. According to the union's estimates, about 1.5 million people marched in more than 60 cities: students, workers, pensioners, farmers and families. Most rallies passed without incident, but in the evening tensions rose in Rome and Turin.
Barricades near the Colosseum
In Rome, a group of protesters broke away from the main march near the Colosseum, put up barricades, tore down road signs and set rubbish bins on fire. Clashes intensified in the Testaccio district, where bottles were thrown at police, who used water cannons. Eight people were detained. As a precaution, Piazza Montecitorio and Piazza Colonna, near Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office, were closed.
In Turin, police used a water cannon in Piazza Castello, where protesters approached the cordon guarding the prefecture. In Mestre, seven police officers were lightly injured, while in Vicenza ten people, protesters and police, were hurt near the motorway. In Milan, about 30,000 people marched and blocked part of the eastern ring road for about an hour and a half; after the march, threatening graffiti targeting Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini appeared.
Ports against arms trafficking
According to ATSH, more than 100 port facilities in 17 countries joined the action against arms shipments; in Genoa, dockworkers blocked part of the port area early in the morning with tires and smoke flares. Salvini had issued an order banning transport strikes ahead of the Nov. 1 holiday, but USB said it would not comply. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had described the weekend as “problematic” and announced stepped-up checks.
USB said the mobilization will continue in the coming days.
