The Battle of Valle Giulia (''battaglia di Valle Giulia'') is the conventional name for a clash between Italian militants (left-wing as well as right-wing) and the Italian police in Valle Giulia,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, on 1 March 1968. It is still frequently remembered as one of the first violent clashes in Italy's student unrest during the

protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly characterized by popular rebellions against state militaries and the bureaucracies. In the United States, these protests marked a turning point for the ci ...

or "Sessantotto".

Overview

On Friday 1 March, about 4,000 people gathered in the

Piazza di Spagna Piazza di Spagna ("Spanish Square"), at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome, Italy. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. There is also the famed Colum ...

, who began marching through the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...

campus; some had the intention of occupying the school. When they arrived, the students found themselves in front of an imposing cordon of police, and during the coping that followed, a small group of policemen broke away to deal with violence of an isolated student; the protesters responded with throwing stones and sharp objects. The leaders of the attacks against police were neo-fascist members of the National Vanguard Youth. Left-wing and right-wing students occupied different buildings. In the brawl, 148 injuries were recorded to police, 478 injuries to students, 4 were detained, and 228 were arrested. Eight police cars were destroyed, and five guns were stolen from officers.Cfr. anche Marco Iacona, ''1968. Le origini della contestazione globale'', Solfanelli, 2008, pp. 86-87

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valle Giulia 1968 protests 1968 riots 1968 in Italy Political history of Italy Riots and civil disorder in Italy Years of Lead (Italy) 1960s in Rome Protests in Italy March 1968 events in Europe Italian neo-fascism

Overview

See also

References