This is just the beginning

November 30th: The day when the Camera dei deputati voted the Law Gelmini, the city of Bologna, home of the oldest university of Europe, lived to see like many other Italian cities a veritable student & pupil revolt. Urban blockades and demonstrations paralyzed the city, then the protest march blocked the motorway for over an hour. Finally at the train station, another possible target for blockades, a long phalanx of Police and Carabinieri in riot-gear attacked the crowd and fired tear gas on the march. After around twenty minutes of extremely high tension, the march restarted to block Via Rizzoli and Via Zamboni, before returning to the Faculty of Arts where a meeting was held at six o’clock.

This is today’s English leader from the website Uniriot.org, written by Paolo Do, Rome, which gives a roundup of the Italian events on Tuesday 30th November:

“It is just the beginning !

These days the crisis of the Italian government, that is living an agony since the last two months, was spread over the country: students’ protests, occupations everywhere are unfolding the political crisis. We are facing a multiplication of its dimensions, of its temporalities.
From the «book block» to the occupation of rail stations, airport, port, cities, the Italian student movement is experimenting an original temporality of the crisis: it is a non-linear time, that is a new starting point of resistance against the European austerity.

For the first time hundred of student from high school are beside the university’s student composing a new subject, a new political event.

The clinamen of the 30 of November, as well as of the event at the Milbank tower in London few weeks ago, are fed with the anger of a new generation, their desire and collective organization.
Yesterday Italy was completely blocked by demonstrations that closed motorways, like in Bologna and Turin, where the mobility was blocked for hours.

Here Bologna

Here Turin

In Rome students clashed violently with police several time to reach the Parliament, and then blocked the city centre and the main railway station:

Here the clash at the Roma downtown

Here

Here the occupation of Termini

The day of 30 November shows us a new kind of protest beyond the rituality: in all over the country the student movement is facing the attempt to organize strikes blocking the mobility and fluidity of the metropolis, its hubs and centre of logistic.

Here the clash at the rail station of Bologna

Here Pavia

Up to today, many universities are still occupied. General assemblies and meetings are going all over the cities despite yesterday the reform was passed to the Parliament. The next step for this law will be the discussion at the Senate house by 14 of December. But the government probably will not have enough time: we will topple them before: yes, it is just the beginning!"

See also

Movement, learning: a few reflections on the exciting UK winter 2010 (by Manuela Zechner, London, on Uniriot.org)

Against the reform, another revolt! Updates on student protests in Italy (Italy Calling via Libcom)

and the sites Atenei in revolt and Italy Calling