Austerity Protests Turn Violent In Rome

Anti-austerity protests in Italy were coordinated with those in other southern European countries. Italian demonstrators reveal growing anger at Prime Minister Mario Monti, who was hailed as the man who could lead Italy out of its crisis just a year ago.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

SYLVIA POGGIOLI BYLINE: This is Sylvia Poggioli in Rome.

Huge numbers of Italians took part in the biggest ever Europe-wide protest against austerity policies that plunged the EU's southern rim into recession and massive unemployment. In Rome, this young man joined university students protesting against government cuts in education.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)

BYLINE: We want more rights in the workplace, he says, and investments in information technology. Europe used to be a place that inspired a sense of hope. Today, he adds, all we have is a sense of fear.

Italy has had no growth in a decade, and its debt burden has swollen to nearly 127 percent of GDP. The IMF forecasts further economic decline next year. In today's protests, clashes broke out in Milan, Turin and Padua. The most violent were in Rome.

(SOUNDBITE OF SIRENS)

BYLINE: Street battles brought traffic to a standstill as police fired tear gas canisters on protesters trying to reach the Prime Minister's office.

(SOUNDBITE OF VEHICLES)

BYLINE: A year ago, Mario Monti, the technocrat, was hailed when he replaced Silvio Berlusconi as prime minister. But Monti's strict austerity measures raised taxes and slashed pensions and public sector jobs, making him the target of a populist backlash. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/14/165160264/austerity-protests-turn-violent-in-rome?ft=1&f=1004

Provigil denver post dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer Jon Lord weather.com