Italy: Nationwide protests expected Dec. 28, Jan. 3-4, 2019

Event

Various pensioner unions are planning to stage protests across Italy in the coming days in opposition to pension reforms that come into effect on January 1, 2019. Demonstrations are scheduled in urban areas on Friday, December 28, including outside the prefecture buildings in Udine and Treviso, where 67,000 people are expected to attend. Rallies are anticipated to start around 10:00 (local time). Further associated protests are set to take place on Thursday, January 3, and Friday, January 4, in other urban areas. While the demonstrations are expected to remain peaceful, localized traffic disruptions are anticipated around all rallies.

Context

he unions claim that the new pension reevaluation mechanism, which come into effect on January 1, will reduce the purchasing power of over 7 million pensioners.

Advice

Individuals in Italy are advised to monitor the situation, allow additional time to travel, and avoid all political demonstrations as a precaution.