General strike shuts 40 Italian cities over wage demands and military spend
Tens of thousands of students and workers rallied across more than 40 Italian cities on October 30, 2026, demanding higher wages and improved public services while protesting rising living costs and expanded military spending. The nationwide demonstrations coincided with a 24-hour general strike called by the grassroots union Unione Sindacale di Base, disrupting transit corridors and maritime hubs across the country.
Left-wing activists and students clashed with security forces protecting government sites, prompting police in Turin to deploy water cannons against crowd surges. In Rome, demonstrators marched past the Colosseum and set fire to street rubbish bins while preparing encampments. Marchers in Milan blocked the city’s major ring road before concentrating outside the Politecnico di Milano university. Meanwhile, approximately 15,000 port workers and students marched into Genoa’s maritime terminal to oppose arms shipments passing through European ports.
The Italian mobilizations mirror broader economic unrest spreading across European hubs, including recent strikes and street demonstrations in France, Spain, Belgium, and Albania over inflation and declining purchasing power.
