Protest Shadows Red Carpet
Film Festival Protest
As we know, the Rome Film Festival is underway. Friday night’s red carpet was to be graced by some of our very own actors (Eva Mendez and Kira Knightly to name a few); however, their grand entrance was re-routed to the back door.
“Stealing the show and invading the VIP walkway were hundreds of angry workers from the cinema industry. In protest at the Italian government’s drastic cuts to funds for cultural events, their demonstration delayed the opening ceremony by nearly two hours.” http://www.euronews.net/2010/10/29/protesters-delay-opening-of-rome-film-festival/
The Italians always have known how to throw a great party.
Shooting of Soccer Fan Induces Riot
November 11, 2007 Rome Riot against Police
Soccer fan and 26-year-old Gabriele Sandri from Rome was hit in the neck by a police fired bullet. The young man was at a rest stop outside Arezzo, which interestingly is just one train stop over from Castiglion Fiorentino where A&M’s Santa Chiara campus is located. The fans were heading to Lazio’s match at Inter Milan and got into a brawl with fans of the opposing team. Such scuffles are not uncommon occurrences around Italy.
“Our officer had intervened to avert that scuffle” police chief Vincenzo Giacobbe said. “One of the (officers) decided to fire two shots in the air to try to intimidate them. An officer “took a shot, which hit the young man in the neck”.
Before several short hours passed hundreds of enraged fans struck back en mass, attacking a police station near Stadio Olimpico. The throngs of people dragged trash bins and metal barricades to block off a nearby bridge, stormed the yard of the station, lit a police car on fire, hurled stones at passing police cars and smashed station windows. Not yet finished, the rioters set the trash bins on fire, smashed traffic lights and smashed windows at the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters. At least 10 police were injured near the Rome stadium.
The riot fully underway, Rome’s police headquarters reported that their barracks were under attack. A bus was said to be afire by the barracks, and passengers of yet another bus that was blocked by the rioting were evacuated and given shelter in a nearby lobby.
There were also clashes in Milan between police and 240 fans, but it is reported neither side engaged in physical attacks. Many season games were postponed or canceled, and ma
Rome 