The global movement against corporate greed has gained momentum with at least 82 countries participating and 981 cities. The media has largely concentrated on protests in Italy. As protests turned violent on Saturday, Italian police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. A few shop and bank windows were shattered, and cars torched. At least 70 people were injured and dozens arrested as a result.
Lorena Gandolfini is a marketing manager living in Milan and explained, "When there is so much anger growing, even among middle class people, riots are the result". She believes the escalation of violence by a small group were not helpful in removing Berslusconi and that the political elite enjoy privileges and have lived for decades at the expense of others, especially with new laws in place which affect low and middle class. Lorena went on to point out that Saturday's violence was not planned but it was an outburst of public anxiety and should not discredit underlying grievances of Italians.
She wasn't the only one who did not endorse violence in Italy. I spoke to Noemi Maestri, a 24-year old law student in Milan. It was clear to her that "Majority of Italians or 'indignados' do not endorse violence as form of protest" and "The protests were meant to be peaceful" but unfortunately "a small minority ruined it for us". When I asked her about the government and people's attitude, she said there was a general lack of trust and confidence in the Italian political system as whole and that Saturday's escalation of protests were a "gift to Belusconi's political life, the media outlets will blame thugs for protests and discredit protesters by large, and grant Berlusconi a few more months of political safety".
I asked Noemi why people were protesting in Italy, she said, "I think that people are protesting not only against Berlusconi's government, but against the entire corrupted system, which we call "the caste", a caste of untouchable subjects all mutually connected by personal interests. There are no serious, concrete answers to the financial and economic crisis we're facing, not from the government nor from the opposition parties which are still too weak and patchy to be effective at power. The EU is giving us some guidelines that we're not likely to follow because they prove to be not realistic for our situation. Therefore, people are protesting to show that our preoccupation is growing bigger and that we want them to drive us to a radical change, of course starting from the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi. The end of Berlusconismo would mean a lot for Italy's future. Actually, that's the only way to start thinking about a future. Until he remains PM, his power will increase, like an octopus whose tentacles multiply day after day."
Noemi explained that some might feel ashamed of being italians because of recent events but was reassured that Italian pride would not be tarnished easily, and that people are tired "of being represented and mentioned worldwide because of a minority's ineptitude".
They were not the only one's who took the side of protesters but condemned violence as part of it. Isfand Yar Sohail, 21 year old BBA student in Turin was overwhelmingly supportive of protests and the demands of the protesters but went on to say "the violence seen today is both unacceptable and sad" and that "the economic problems are much more complex". He believes many Italians don't know why they face an economic crisis, or what has been happening for the past years. "People are protesting because many are frustrated by the current economic situation, particularly the high youth unemployment". Sohail went on to explain "The people are protesting against banks and financial sector which are seen as directly responsible for the current financial/economic crisis." But the protests aren't just about that, the protests represent the grievances of people against the government's austerity measures.
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