Italy rallies to condemn violence against women draw huge crowds

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in protests across Italy, calling for an end to violence against women following the murder of a university student earlier this month.

Giulia Cecchettin was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend days before she was due to graduate.

Large crowds gathered in Milan and Naples, and there was gridlock in the centre of the capital, Rome.

Italy’s president said the murder of women could not be tolerated.

In a statement marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Sergio Mattarella said: “Dramatic news stories have shaken the country’s conscience.

“A human society that aspires to be civilised cannot accept, cannot endure, this string of attacks on women and murders,” he said, adding that violence against women was a failure of society.

Data from the Italian interior ministry shows that 106 women have so far been killed in the country this year, 55 of them allegedly by a partner or ex-partner.

The protests take place amid a backdrop of public anger and soul-searching over the murder of Ms Cecchettin, a 22-year-old biomedical engineering student who had been due to graduate from the University of Padua last week. (Foreign Agencies)

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