The pressure of the street: let's take the present!

There they stand. In the drizzle, with an umbrella. In a small piazza, in the middle of the city of love. The young generation's protest has also arrived in Verona, Italy, the place to be for social travelers in early autumn. 60, maybe 70 people - most of them in sneakers, outdoor jackets, black backpacks on their backs, occasionally waving the red flags of a local student council - are demonstrating for their future.

"Il nostro tempo è ora! Prendiamoci il presente!", reads one banner. "Our time is now! Let's embrace the present!" That sounds combative in a small town that is otherwise known for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and lures visitors into the romance of the past.

Those who stroll despite the rain look very skeptically at the young people. The demonstrators demand no money for the war, but rather for our schools and universities. But they also say that they don't want any riots and certainly no violence here. The pictures from Milan, around an hour's train ride from Verona, are of course the top topic here. It's all just chaos, passers-by murmur as they pass by.

This text first appeared in wochentaz, our weekly newspaper from the left!

Every week, wochentaz is about the world as it is – and as it could be. A left-wing weekly newspaper with a voice, attitude and the special taz view of the world. New every Saturday at the kiosk and of course by subscription.

But the people under the umbrella certainly don't look like they're about to loot the supermarket across the piazza. There is a lot of discussion here: about the high rents, about the tourists who make everything more expensive, about how the movement should continue in winter. On this autumn day it is still a pleasant 18 degrees, but even in the north of Italy it will be uncomfortable in November.

In Milan, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took tough action. While tourists take selfies in front of the cathedral in the center, the Italian military is bored on the edge of the square. In bright camouflage, some with machine guns, they watch the goings-on. A few days ago, thousands gathered here in the piazza.

At night, some young people rioted in the surrounding shopping streets and looted sneakers, hoodies and T-shirts. Things that they carry themselves. The youngest rioter is said to have been only 12 years old. Meloni sent the army and her deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, came by. The message should be zero tolerance towards criminals.

In Verona the police are present at the mini demo. Some police officers relax and smoke a cigarette. People chat, even joke. “How long is this supposed to last?” one asks. Not that long anymore. But they have already arranged to meet. For the general strike a few days later.