Students protest 14 billion euros for weapons as classrooms crumble
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More than 400,000 students took to the streets, carrying banners demanding "future, not bombs" and questioning why 14 billion euros are being spent on weapons while school ceilings collapse. The Court of Auditors appeared to agree, warning that the state is prioritizing armaments over the education sector. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was less sympathetic, focusing her response on instances of violence during the marches and calling on the opposition to condemn them.
The government's fiscal agenda faced a different kind of resistance in the courts, where the Supreme Court halted the pension reforms proposed by the social security agency, INPS. While the Treasury launched a high-yield retail bond and a new tax amnesty program to bolster the state's coffers, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti warned that ignoring the energy shock could make debt sustainability a distant memory.
Industrial friction showed signs of easing in Taranto as former ILVA steelworkers lifted their road blockades, with their strike scheduled to end by Friday. Meanwhile, the Pope contacted the Kremlin from his hospital bed to request a humanitarian truce for the trapped residents of Oleshky, as President Zelensky warned that 20 million refugees could head west if Ukraine falls.