Protest in Florence

On Saturday, November 5, Florence erupted in violent political protest. Why the protest occurred in Florence on Saturday is explained by events stretching back 50 years.

In November 1966, the Arno River flooded and devastated Florence, taking many lives and destroying many priceless works of art.  Following the flood, many citizens, people from other countries and the Italian and foreign governments responded to the call to restore Florence.  More about the 1966 flood in another blog post.

Fast forward 50 years.  This month, on the 50th anniversary of the flood, Florence and the Italian government are remembering the flood and the efforts to restore Florence with many different events.  One of the officials participating in the commemoration is Matteo Renzi, a native of Florence, a former mayor of Florence and now the Prime Minister of Italy (since early 2014).

In addition to attending ceremonies about the 1966 flood, Matteo Renzi also convened a meeting of his political party here in Florence.  The party is strategizing how to survive a December 4 national constitutional referendum that could result in Renzi ending his role as Prime Minister.

Here is where the anti-government protest comes in.  On Saturday, a large group of well-organized and well-prepared protestors congregated in the Piazza San Marco not far from where we live.  (See the map below:  Piazza San Marco is location "A"; our apartment building is at the pin.)  

The protestors oppose Renzi and the December 4 referendum which would give the national government more power.

An apparent goal of the protesters was to march to the location of Renzi's party meeting and disrupt it. 

Like the protesters, the police were well-organized and well-prepared.

Some of the protesters were peaceful.  Not all were.  Shortly after the protest began, it turned violent and protesters and police clashed.  The protesters marched from Piazza San Marco to Piazza Santissima Annunziata, a large square close to our apartment (location "B" on the map).  The clashes continued. 

From the large square, the marchers moved along a narrow street and then apparently attempted to turn down a street toward the location of Renzi's meeting. The police clad in riot gear (helmets, shields, leg pads and batons) blocked their way with a wall of bodies and large vehicles (location "C" on the map).  Some of the scenes from that confrontation are pictured below, including the loud, fiery explosion of a smoke bomb.  We later read that the protesters threw several smoke bombs along the way. 

We happened to be taking a walk at the same time the protest was developing.  We noticed a helicopter hovering overhead for a long time, which was our first clue since aircraft are a rarity here.  The photos below are ones that we took; we were actually that close to the scene.

A block from the protest, a police officer steers traffic and pedestrians away from the confrontation.

Near the protest, police officers in riot gear fill the street to block the protesters. 

Scene of the confrontation in the middle of the block (location "C"), following explosion of a smoke bomb.  A lot of smoke and a fire resulted.  The police succeeded in blocking the protesters. 

The police drove the marchers back and the march continued down the narrow street that runs parallel to the street where our apartment is located.  The police blocked each attempt to turn the march toward the Renzi meeting and the protesters marched on (location "D" on the map).  Eventually, the protesters dispersed as darkness fell and a hard rain started. 

As we traced the path of the marchers after they had long passed by, we spotted evidence of the violence of the confrontation.  Some photos appear below, and they're photos that we ourselves took of things that we saw.

All of the shops along the way had closed, including a mini market where we sometimes shop.  Later in the evening, we ventured out to the mini market.  We saw that the metal gate was half closed, signifying the shop was closed.  The shopkeeper noticed us and let us in since we had been there many times before.  He said he had locked himself in the shop while the protest passed by.  He wanted to avoid being looted.  He also said he feared being beaten since he is an immigrant from Bangladesh.  We sympathized with his concern.

Following the protest, media outlets in Italy and around the world reported on the violent anti-government protest.  Click here for a sample story. So, the protest was effective in drawing national and international attention but was condemned for its violence.  Apparently, the protest on Saturday was the first violent protest in recent memory.  There were numerous injuries and many arrests.  Fortunately, none of the injuries were critically serious.  We did see one protester leaving the march, with blood running down his face.

Journalists covering the protest are reviewing their video of the violent confrontation and preparing their story for broadcast.

A protester's sign left behind in Piazza San Marco.  ("EITHER WEALTH IS  FOR ALL OR WORKING MAKES NO SENSE".)  Construction fencing was strewn around the square following the protest.

Another protester's sign in Piazza San Marco.  ("NO TO SELLING OUT HEALTH!")

Not long after the march moved away, a sanitation crew descends on Piazza San Marco and cleans up all the debris.

In Piazza San Marco, evidence of the violent nature of the confrontation.