Date 1 March 1968 | ||
 | ||
Goals Occupation of the university | ||
The Battle of Valle Giulia is the conventional name for a clash between Italian left-wing militants and the Italian police at Valle Giulia, Rome, on 1 March 1968. It is still frequently remembered as one of the first violent clashes in Italy's student unrest during the protests of 1968 (the Sessantotto, sixty-eight).
Overview
On Friday 1 March, about 4,000 people gathered in the Plaza of Spain, who began marching through campus, some had the intention to occupy the school. When they got there, the students found themselves in front of an imposing cordon of police, and during the coping that followed, a small group of policemen broke away to deal with violence of an isolated student; the protesters responded with throwing stones and sharp objects. The leaders of the attacks against police were neo-fascist members of the National Vanguard Youth. Left-wing and Right-wing students occupied different buildings. In the brawl, 148 injuries were recorded to police, 478 injuries to students, 4 were detained, and 228 arrested. Eight police cars were destroyed, and five guns were stolen from officers.
