Rome police block student march on Ponte Sisto and use water cannon during strike

Clashes on the Trastevere bridges

The march, part of the general strike, first tried to cross Ponte Garibaldi and Ponte Sublicio before pressing against a police line between piazza dell'Emporio and the riverside road. Police then blocked Ponte Sisto with a cordon of riot officers holding shields and batons. According to il Giornale, a splinter group of several hundred people left the main procession to head for the Ministry of Education, then resumed its route through Trastevere toward the city centre. Tgcom24 put the number of students held back by the cordon at more than 300, saying they were kept out of the historic centre and the area around Parliament.

Bottles, petards and water cannon

Protesters threw bottles and petards at officers, according to Tgcom24 and Adnkronos, and on Ponte Sisto they set fire to rubbish and scooters and knocked down road signs. Adnkronos reported that police answered a dense volley of bottles and petards with water cannon at Largo dell'Emporio, which broke up the improvised march. Il Giornale said officers used water cannon and light charges there before the group was dispersed toward Testaccio. Tgcom24 described further clashes on Lungotevere Testaccio, where protesters threw petards and other objects in an attempt to force the blockade and officers pushed them back.

Via Claudia near the Colosseum

Il Messaggero reported that a group of about a hundred, splitting from the main march, entered via Claudia a short distance from the Colosseum. Police met them with a light charge and tear gas, after the group had smashed planters along the roadside and set fire to rubbish bins at several points on the street. A police officer who spoke to Adnkronos said the group threw a Molotov cocktail, stones and firecrackers, and that a stone broke one of his fingers. He also said several of the group had their faces covered, some with gas masks, and described the group as acting with a confidence he had not seen in his years on the job.

Route toward the Circus Maximus

Adnkronos reported that the march had first moved peacefully along via Marmorata before taking viale della Piramide Cestia toward the Circus Maximus. At piazza Albania, police set up a barrier of riot officers and armoured vehicles across the streets. Front-line students tried to get past it, and officers pushed them back, running forward with shields raised, before the scuffle ended within moments. Earlier, Rai news reported that a police van had been caught inside the crowd for several minutes, and two demonstrators climbed onto its rear bumper and were carried a few metres before getting down. Police kept watching the situation to prevent further trouble.