Rome student protesters throw firecrackers at education ministry

Participants in a school-student march in Rome threw firecrackers at Italy's Education Ministry on October 16 and demanded a meeting with Minister Giuseppe Valditara, Il Messaggero reported.

Police and Carabinieri officers in protective equipment stood outside the ministry. Demonstrators called for greater investment in schools and opposed rising military spending.

Organisers estimated attendance at the Rome march at about 20,000, according to RIA Novosti. The figure was the organisers' estimate rather than a police count.

No Meloni Day marches also took place in other Italian cities. Participants protested insufficient education funding and rising living costs.

Valditara condemned the actions outside the ministry as an attack on state institutions, ANSA reported.