Tourists evacuated as (Italian) students swarm Colosseum, Tower of Pisa

[Turborama]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

November 26, 2010 - 10:55AM (Sydney Time)

Italian students swarmed into the Colosseum in Rome and the Leaning Tower of Pisa yesterday as part of nationwide protests against proposed budget cuts in the university system.

Tourists caught up in the protest in Pisa were evacuated from the medieval Tuscan tower after around 30 protesting students hung a banner from the penultimate tier that read "No to University Reform!"

The tower was then closed to the public with the students still inside, an AFP photographer said. More than 1000 students protested at the foot of the tower.

In Rome, dozens of students swarmed into the ancient Roman Colosseum -- jumping over turnstiles at the entrance. Some of the protesters climbed up the face of the Colosseum and hung a banner reading: "No Cuts, No Profit!"

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/tourists-evacuated-as-students-swarm-colosseum-tower-of-pisa-20101126-189nt.html

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Student fury in the face of brutal educations cuts across Europe

Across Europe, students and school children have been taking to the streets this week in unprecedented numbers, angry at planned government cuts to education budgets. As austerity looms, Europe’s youth is getting political.

By FRANCE 24

In the face of brutal government cuts to education budgets due to the credit crisis, students and schoolchildren across Europe are wading into political activism on an unprecedented scale. Europe’s youth are determined that their voice will be heard.

Mass protests on the streets of major European cities have now become almost a daily occurrence, with students in Ireland, the UK and Italy all protesting in record numbers.

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Europe’s students stand together

In Rome, students outraged over proposed cuts of around nine billion euros skirmished with police outside the city’s Senate building. "We will block this reform," students chanted, waving smoke flares and banners.

Silvio Berlusconi’s foundering administration is planning to axe an eye-watering 130,000 jobs in the education sector by 2013.

Full article: http://www.france24.com/en/20101125-uk-ireland-italy-students-protest-european-debt-crisis-education