Protesters march past the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, during a national general strike called by unions on October 30, 2026. VALENTINA STEFANELLI / VALENTINA STEFANELLI/LAPRESSE VIA AP Large crowds took to the streets across Italy on Friday, October 30, in response to a call from the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), a grassroots trade union that had organized a general strike in the public sector. Although many civil servants did not walk out and public transportation was only minimally disrupted, the streets and squares of major cities were packed with demonstrators, reflecting a rising tide of social discontent nationwide. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini had ordered union leaders to prevent strikes in key transport sectors, invoking restrictions on strikes during the All Saints' Day holiday period. The USB estimated that between 1 million and 1.5 million people took part in the demonstrations, while the Interior Ministry put turnout at 255,000.

In Rome, nearly 100,000 protesters, according to the union, marched from the central Termini Station – the country's main rail hub – toward the Colosseum. "Spain, France, Italy, a new May 1968 is coming," proclaimed the banner of a small Communist group. The cost of living, already a core concern, took on even greater urgency after the National Institute of Statistics released new figures the same day showing annual inflation had reached 5.4%. On Via dei Fori Imperiali, just steps from the ruins of the Roman Forum, tourists walked past illustrated panels and infographics depicting the surge in prices. "Food prices have increased faster than overall inflation," read one sign, noting that the cost of a typical supermarket basket has jumped 30% in five years.