2011 Rome demonstration
Encyclopedia
On 15 October 2011 about 200,000 people gathered in Rome
, Italy
to protest against economic inequality
and the influence of the European Commission
, the European Central Bank
and the International Monetary Fund
on government. The protests began in solidarity with the Spanish protests
. Many other protests occurred in other Italian cities the same day.
, Federazione Anarchica Italiana
, Federation of Italian Communist Youth
, Young Communists, Purple people
, Workers' Communist Party
, Party of Italian Communists
, Communist Refoundation Party
, Left Ecology Freedom, Critical Left
, the left wing of the Italian General Confederation of Labour
, and many others.
, arrived on the scene and broke away from the otherwise peaceful demonstration, setting cars and a police van on fire, smashing bank windows and clashed with police. A Catholic church was ransacked and a statue of the Madonna
was thrown into the street where it was stomped on by one of the rioters. Two news crews from Sky Italia
were also assaulted. Police repeatedly fired tear gas and water canons at the protesters. At least 135 people were injured, including 105 police officers. Twelve people were arrested the same day, and another one on 17 October.
It was later determined that the damage from the rioting amounted to €1.815 million, with €1 million tied to the Public Works Department.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to protest against economic inequality
Economic inequality
Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...
and the influence of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, the European Central Bank
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank is the institution of the European Union that administers the monetary policy of the 17 EU Eurozone member states. It is thus one of the world's most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt,...
and the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
on government. The protests began in solidarity with the Spanish protests
2011 Spanish protests
The 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
. Many other protests occurred in other Italian cities the same day.
Movements involved
The demonstrations were endorsed by several political parties, trade unions and civil movements, including: Confederazione del Comitati di BaseConfederazione del Comitati di Base
The Confederazione del Comitati di Base is a rank and file trade union center in Italy. It was formed in the late 1980s from members who were dissatisfied with the leadership of the three main Italian confederations...
, Federazione Anarchica Italiana
Federazione Anarchica Italiana
Federazione Anarchica Italiana is an Italian anarchist federation of autonomous anarchist groups all over Italy. The Italian Anarchist Federation was founded in 1945 in Carrara. It adopted an "Associative Pact" and the "Anarchist Program" of Errico Malatesta...
, Federation of Italian Communist Youth
Federation of Italian Communist Youth
The Federation of Italian Communist Youth is the youth wing of the Italian Communist Party , not to be confused with the PCI's Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana, dissolved in 1990, from which it takes its inspiration...
, Young Communists, Purple people
Purple people
The Purple People are an Italian mass protest movement who are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi...
, Workers' Communist Party
Workers' Communist Party (Italy)
The Italian Communist Workers' Party is a party of the far left. It was created in 2006 by the Trotskyist breakaway wing of the Communist Refoundation Party led by Marco Ferrando ....
, Party of Italian Communists
Party of Italian Communists
The Party of Italian Communists is a communist political party in Italy. Its long-time leader is Oliviero Diliberto.-Foundation and early years:...
, Communist Refoundation Party
Communist Refoundation Party
The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....
, Left Ecology Freedom, Critical Left
Critical Left
Critical Left is a communist political party in Italy.-History:Originally a Trotskyist faction within the Communist Refoundation Party , it broke ranks on 8 December 2007 to become an independent political party. From 2006 to 2008 SC had a member of the deputy, Salvatore Cannavò, and a senator,...
, the left wing of the Italian General Confederation of Labour
Italian General Confederation of Labour
-External links:**...
, and many others.
Riots
On the afternoon the Rome protests turned violent, as hundreds of hooded protesters, known as the black blocBlack bloc
A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches, whereby individuals wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing items...
, arrived on the scene and broke away from the otherwise peaceful demonstration, setting cars and a police van on fire, smashing bank windows and clashed with police. A Catholic church was ransacked and a statue of the Madonna
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
was thrown into the street where it was stomped on by one of the rioters. Two news crews from Sky Italia
Sky Italia
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian digital satellite television platform owned by News Corporation launched on 1 August 2003, when the former platforms TELE+ and Stream TV merged together...
were also assaulted. Police repeatedly fired tear gas and water canons at the protesters. At least 135 people were injured, including 105 police officers. Twelve people were arrested the same day, and another one on 17 October.
It was later determined that the damage from the rioting amounted to €1.815 million, with €1 million tied to the Public Works Department.
See also
- 15 October 2011 global protests15 October 2011 global protestsThe 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...
- 2010–2011 Greek protests2010–2011 Greek protestsThe 2010–2011 Greek protests are an ongoing series of demonstrations and general strikes taking place across Greece. The protests, which began on 5 May 2010, were sparked by plans to cut public spending and raise taxes as austerity measures in exchange for a bail-out, aimed at solving the...
- 2011 Chilean protests2011 Chilean protestsThe 2011 Chilean protests,Chilean Winter or Chilean Education Conflict are a series of ongoing student-led protests across Chile, demanding a new framework for education in Chile, including more direct state participation in secondary education and an end to the existence of profit...
- 2011 Israeli middle class protests
- 2011 Spanish protests2011 Spanish protestsThe 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
(Spanish 15M Indignants movement) - 2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protestsThe 2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests were a series of anti-austerity protests that took place in the United Kingdom in early 2011...
- Impact of the Arab Spring
- Iceland Kitchenware Revolution
- List of global Occupy movement protest locations
- LobbyingLobbyingLobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
- "Occupy" protests
- Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
- PlutocracyPlutocracyPlutocracy is rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth. The combination of both plutocracy and oligarchy is called plutarchy. The word plutocracy is derived from the Ancient Greek root ploutos, meaning wealth and kratos, meaning to rule or to govern.-Usage:The term plutocracy is generally...
- Protests of 1968Protests of 1968The protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely participated in by students and workers.-Background:Background speculations of overall causality vary about the political protests centering on the year 1968. Some argue that protests could be attributed to the social changes...