Protests have broken out in several Italian cities against the governments university reform package, being voted on in the chamber of deputies on Tuesday. In Rome it is estimated that over 50,000 students and professors took to the streets between the central railway station and Piazza Navona, and violent scuffles broke out between police and students close to the parliament buildings in the centre of the city. Protests have also taken place in Genoa, Bologna and Milan.

Students and professors have staged sit-ins at universities throughout Italy in recent weeks in protest against the reform that threatens the independence of the universities and will set national standards for the appointments of professors and researchers.