Protest at Bologna Campus
We had a violent riot outside our university building yesterday. Out of outrage over the pictures of British and American troops abusing Iraqi prisoners, 30-50 Italian students and protesters came to prevent a representative of one of the abusive governments (the British Ambassador to Italy) from speaking at our school.
At all times, we have armed Carabinieri (National Police types) guarding our school. I have recently been told that we are the #3 target in Italy for terrorism, after the American Embassy and British Embassy, as an American school with right-leaning professors (and liberal students). Surely this is an exaggeration, as there is an American military base in the north of Italy and another consulate in Florence, but we are still a target. We receive bomb threats at the school and outside the apartment building where many students live (at least twice this year). I have been told that a molotov cocktail was thrown at the school some years ago, and a man, Marco Biagi, who taught here (but I think had other political ties that made him a target) was murdered.
The protesters rushed the doors, threw smoke bombs and firecrackers, and eventually lit a large city dumpster on fire. It was scary initially, but enough police had arrived as security to keep them away from the doors. Eventually, riot police arrived and there was a showdown. Behind the police, the Ambassador pulled up and rushed into the school to give his talk. He was speaking only about his personal views on geography and diplomacy, and the talk lasted just over an hour.
I don't think any students were harassed -- they were allowed to come and go. Some even walked amongst them, probably to find out why they were here. Most of the time the protesters acted like Italians -- smoking and standing around on their phones -- and we were unconcerned. However, I think that if the rioters had gotten inside they would have tried to do some damage to the school itself. The American Ambassador to NATO was scheduled to talk here on Thursday, but that has been canceled.
I'll try to load some pictures later.
At all times, we have armed Carabinieri (National Police types) guarding our school. I have recently been told that we are the #3 target in Italy for terrorism, after the American Embassy and British Embassy, as an American school with right-leaning professors (and liberal students). Surely this is an exaggeration, as there is an American military base in the north of Italy and another consulate in Florence, but we are still a target. We receive bomb threats at the school and outside the apartment building where many students live (at least twice this year). I have been told that a molotov cocktail was thrown at the school some years ago, and a man, Marco Biagi, who taught here (but I think had other political ties that made him a target) was murdered.
The protesters rushed the doors, threw smoke bombs and firecrackers, and eventually lit a large city dumpster on fire. It was scary initially, but enough police had arrived as security to keep them away from the doors. Eventually, riot police arrived and there was a showdown. Behind the police, the Ambassador pulled up and rushed into the school to give his talk. He was speaking only about his personal views on geography and diplomacy, and the talk lasted just over an hour.
I don't think any students were harassed -- they were allowed to come and go. Some even walked amongst them, probably to find out why they were here. Most of the time the protesters acted like Italians -- smoking and standing around on their phones -- and we were unconcerned. However, I think that if the rioters had gotten inside they would have tried to do some damage to the school itself. The American Ambassador to NATO was scheduled to talk here on Thursday, but that has been canceled.
I'll try to load some pictures later.