Police and students in Torino

There always seems to be something happening with the police and students in Italy, this time it was in Torino. There was a national student protest on November 15 over cuts to education in the coming national budget. Student groups are concerned that access to education is being drastically reduced.
In Torino there was a massive police presence and streets in the centre of the city were closed to traffic from fairly early in the morning.  Police were in their riot gear with batons etc and there were massive police vans everywhere - does this antagonize protesters to take physical action? I think so.

In Piazza Castello many people didn't know what was happening and many people registering for the Turin Marathon became part of the student group by default.

Apparently there was some friction between the police and students, but it was all very orderly in Piazza Castello while we were there and what we thought was a flare was smoke from the castagne seller's fire.

Turin Marathon

Rob again ran in the Turin marathon and did his best time in ages.  The race was much better supported by the public this time and there were many people out in the streets cheering runners on.  Rob said that there were groups of women in traditional dress singing folk songs in some of the towns.

Once again the African runners were the top placegetters

The first woman to finish got heaps of applause

A group of runners ran together from Piazza San Carlo in remembrance of those killed at the Boston Marathon. They ran at the same time as when the first bomb went off in Boston

Glad to be finished