Battle of Valle Giulia
1968 clash during Italy's Years of Lead
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The Battle of Valle Giulia (battaglia di Valle Giulia) is the conventional name for a clash between Italian militants (left-wing as well as right-wing) and the Italian police in 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 or "Sessantotto".[1]
Italian Police victory
- The militants fail to capture the Sapienza University of Rome
| Battle of Valle Giulia | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 1968 movement in Italy and the Years of Lead | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
 Far-right militants |
 Far-left militants |
 / Italian Police Forces | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
|
Stefano Delle Chiaie | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||||
| Around 4,000 students | 1,000 policemen | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
|
272 arrested 478 wounded | 148 wounded | |||||||
Overview
On Friday 1 March, about 4,000 people gathered in the Piazza di Spagna, who began marching through the Sapienza University of Rome campus; some had the intention of occupying the school. When they arrived, 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 blunt objects.[2] The leaders of the attacks against police were neo-fascist members of the National Vanguard Youth.[3] Left-wing and right-wing students occupied different buildings.[4][5] In the brawl, 148 injuries were recorded to police, 478 injuries to students, 4 were detained, and 228 were arrested. Eight police cars were destroyed, and five guns were stolen from officers.[6]