Protesters burn Israeli, US flags as student demonstrations sweep Italy | Watch

Key Points:

• Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Rome burned Israeli and U.S. flags during a protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government policies, particularly military spending and education rights, with organizers estimating around 20,000 participants.
• Protesters chanted slogans such as "Money for schools, not war" and marched from the Colosseum to the Education Ministry, demanding increased investment in education and opposing school reforms and restrictions on foreign students.
• The demonstrations included acts of vandalism like setting fire to trash cans and overturning garbage bins, and similar protests occurred in other Italian cities, including Turin, Verona, Genoa, Venice, Padua, Treviso, and Cagliari, where some arrests were made.
• Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara condemned the protests as "political hooliganism" and violence unrelated to legitimate student dissent, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini labeled the protesters as "criminals and lawbreakers."
• The protests come amid broader European unrest over education funding and rights, with students planning a general strike on October 30 to further voice their demands.