THIS is the moment baton-wielding riot police charge at protesters as violent clashes erupt in Italy with fires lit near the historic Colosseum.
Shocking footage shows a wall of cops hammering a crowd in the capital where 20,000 people hit the streets as mass demonstrations broke out in more than 50 cities across the country.
The ancient amphitheatre was plunged into lockdown on Friday when thousands of protesters spilled onto the streets in the latest wave of European unrest.
While the capital’s marches remained largely peaceful, pockets of rioters lit bin fires and hurled objects at police.
Drones and helicopters circled the skies above protest with tear gas and water cannon also reportedly deployed.
Eight people were detained after repeatedly trying to break through police barricades.
As they marched through the historic streets, students chanted: “Every school will be an occupation, every square will be a revolution.”
Demonstrators also held a banner in solidarity with other European nations hosting massive protest movements in recent weeks.
It read: “Spain, France, Italy. A new ’68 is coming,” in reference to the 1968 student revolt.
The nationwide demonstrations, planned by trade unions and student organisations, sought to rally against soaring living costs and crumbling public services.
Large demonstrations also took place in Milan and Turin where people of all ages – including students – fumed at Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing government.
In Vicenza in the northeast, three people were injured in a march, ANSA reported, including one person who was hit in the head by a tear gas canister during clashes with police.
Protesters reportedly tried to force their way through a blockade before the march was blocked by water cannon.
Farmers dumped manure on the streets of Turin where water cannon was also blasted amid further clashes with police.
Protesters managed to force their way through a blockade on the Via Rossini, forcing officers into a retreat.
Hundreds of people also gathered outside Milan Polytechnic to demonstrate over the right to education, the cost of living and concerns over militarisation.
One protester called out over a megaphone: “We’re taking back the city. Let’s make a mess.
“Let’s make our voices heard. Let’s take to the streets against the high cost of living.”
The protester also said “drink Peroni and hate Meloni”, referring to the country’s leader.
In Naples a march deviated from its planned route with protesters heard chanting “let’s block everything.”
Students in Bologna used bins to block the entrances to several schools – a tactic used by youngsters in France – as several shops in the city centre shuttered to protect themselves.
Earlier this month the Meloni government introduced a slew of emergency measures to subdue protests, including stretches of up to five years in prison and fines of £17,000 for joining a protest group that “endangers public safety”.
The new anti-riot laws also hold parents liable when their children take part in vandalism and looting, and increase penalties for those who cover their faces or people are injured.
After unveiling the legislation, Meloni said: “There is nothing revolutionary about vandalising and stealing.
“Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality.”
France is bracing for another wave of protests over the weekend as the interior minister warns of a very high risk of violence and deploys approximately 70,000 police officers across the country.
Rioters have threatened to unleash a “night of darkness” on Saturday, following weeks of unrest that have left thousands of shops damaged.
Most stores have been forced to barricade their windows, remove expensive stock and shut early amid fears of further looting and vandalism.
Fears of French-style violence have also spread to the British holiday hotspot of Majorca, where luxury shops are boarding up their windows ahead of Halloween protests.
Businesses across Palma have begun covering their shopfronts with wooden panels amid warnings of possible looting and vandalism.