Perilous Times
Italian students storm Tower of Pisa, Colosseum
By Catherine Hornby and Gabriele Pileri
ROME | Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:45am EST
ROME (Reuters) - Italian students stormed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and
Rome's Colosseum and blocked roads and railways Thursday in protest
against university reform planned by Silvio Berlusconi's struggling
government.
The measures, currently before parliament, include spending cuts and
time limits on research.
Thousands of students marched in cities around Italy and occupied
university buildings. One was injured during clashes with police in
Florence, news agencies reported, but demonstrations were largely
peaceful.
"We will block this reform," students chanted outside parliament
buildings, waving smoke flares and banners.
They breached security at the Tower of Pisa, flying banners from the
summit, and jumped over entrance turnstiles at the Colosseum.
The protest was the latest in a wave of demonstrations against
austerity measures in Europe. In London, thousands of people rallied
Wednesday against a rise in university fees.
The unrest is a further blow for Berlusconi's troubled government,
already undermined by a weak economy and a succession of scandals, and
facing two confidence votes in parliament on December 14 that could
trigger early elections.
Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini says the reforms, which are
aimed at saving several billion euros by the end of 2012, will create a
more merit-based system.
But opponents say universities already have a funding shortfall of 1.35
billion euros next year and the planned cuts will further weaken
Italy's higher education system.
The government was defeated in a parliamentary vote on Thursday on an
amendment to the reform. Berlusconi no longer has a built-in majority
in the lower house of parliament because of coalition infighting.
Gelmini said the amendment would be of little significance, but said
she may withdraw the reform, due for a final vote on November 30, if
more substantive modifications are passed.
Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of the main center-left opposition
Democratic Party called for it to be scrapped immediately.
"Let's start discussing how we can correct the distortions of this law
and how we can find resources to support the right to study and
research," he said.
(Writing by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Maria Golovnina)