The newspaper La Repubblica gives updates about tomorrow’s mass demonstration of students and universitarians. The headline says “The wave brings 100.000 students to the piazza”.
The occupied faculties of Sapienza will host students who arrive from outside of Rome by special trains and buses. “We are expecting at least 100.000 students”, says Francesco Brancaccio from the Faculty of Political Sciences. “Our protest will be a pacific one, with hands raised and faces uncovered, but we are asking the police to authorize the demonstration to arrive until Montecitorio”. Montecitorio is the location of the Italian Parliament.
There are at least two parades, both starting at 9.30 in the morning. One will start at the main entrance of Sapienza, at Piazzale Aldo Moro. Another starts at Piazzale dei Partigiani, near Piramide, composed of students of Roma Tre.
At Piazza dei Cinquecento, near Termini station, also the students from other Italian universities will join the demonstration. At Piazza Venezia the parades will join together and head towards Montecitorio.
Today at Roma Tre, the students launched a “counter-inauguration” of the academic year. Later in the evening there will be a party of the “wave” at the occupied faculty of arts of Roma Tre.
Today there was also a “netstrike” against the law 133. People were asked to participate by connecting to the website of the ministry of education (www.miur.it) at 14.00.
Milan Students continue fine tradition of Auto-Reduction!
November 13, 2008: This afternoon, Milanese students gathered at the central railway station in order to pressure Trenitalia to allow people to travel with reduced prices to Rome to participate the demonstration of Nov 14th.
15.40: About 100 students arrived at the station shouting “Everybody to Rome” with megaphones and carrying banners. The carabinieri are stopping them from getting to the platforms.
15.55: Kiosks and shops inside the station are advised to close. Some of them had already decided to do so.
15.56: Students organize a “counter-ticketing”, trying to collect money to finance the train trip.
16.04: The police and carabinieri block the access to the platforms. The students are not reacting.
16.10: There’s some tension among the passengers in departure.
16.11: An artist called Moni Ovadia arrives at the station and says he’s willing to help the students get to Rome.
16.17: The students say the negotiations are going on. The students are willing to pay 15 euros per passenger.
16.28: The director and actor, Moni Ovadia has joined the demonstrators. “Deregulation is a not a solution, it’s a catastrophe”, Ovadia says. “These students have understood that the Gelmini law is not a reform, it’s the massacre of public education”. He continues, “Why a company like Trenitalia should not give the students a hand?”
16.31: The formal proposal of Trenitalia is a two-way ticket of 44 euros, says one of the demonstrators. “Other institutional sources are saying they will make a proposal of 18.000 euros for a special train”.
16.52: The students try, for the first time, to block the way to the platforms. Tension rising among passengers.
16.59: The students try to break through the police lines, the police defeat the attempt. Tension rising.
17.05: New attempt to enter the platforms. Tension between students and the police rising.
17.10: Trenitalia proposes: From Milan we can provide three trains, 700 places in each. They depart right after 18.00. No concessions about the price: 44 euros each person.
17.25: Students try to break through to get to the platforms. The gates are blocked.
17.40: Some passengers start to argue with the students.
18.25: Luciano Muhlbauer (from the communist party Rifondazione) announces that “The charter train costs 32.000 euros, of which 18.000 has to be paid immediately. CGIL has offered to pay 5000 and Rifondazione another 5000. The students should guarantee 8000.”
18.50: The vice mayor of Milan, Riccardo Decorato (An) talks about “an arrogant minority of 200 people”.
19.05: People are collecting the last money needed for the trains to depart for Rome.
19.15: Departure in sight. Finally there is a special train for the 300-400 students waiting for departure. The price offer of Trenitalia was 44 euros for a two-way ticket, and CGIL and Rifondazione intervened and offered to pay a significant part of the costs. Therefore it seems the students reached a good result in the negotiations.
19.45: Agreement has been reached. The special train departs at 22.00. Trenitalia: “The train was provided at market price”.
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CGIL: GENERAL STRIKE 12 DECEMBER
CGIL has called a general strike for 12 December. No details about the strike, except that it will last at least 4 hours.
At the moment there’s some polemics between unions. The government excluded CGIL from a meeting in which others were invited. CGIL accuses the government of trying to divide the unions. In the meantime, CISL has withdrawn from the university strike which is taking place this Friday. UIL, however, confirmed its participation. CGIL not only goes on strike but also organizes a demonstration which starts at 9.30 at Piazza della Bocca della Veritá and ends up in Piazza Navona.
Students and universitarians will have their own parades independently of the unions. There will be three parades which will later join together. One starts at Sapienza, students of Roma Tre gather at Piramide, and secondary school students at Piazza della Repubblica.