I have been meaning to set up a blog ever since arriving in Italy. I was finally inspired to get around to it today after witnessing a student demonstration in the town centre. A lot of people talk about how apathetic students in British Universities are and I have to say that since moving to Birmingham I would have to agree, despite being involved in debating where many people are very politically interested.. this does not necessarily translate into political activity. Since moving to Italy it is very noticable that the situation here is somewhat different. It is impossible to walk down Via Zamboni where my and a couple of other big faculties are based without being handed leaflets for the communist movement or the 'socialist and democratic' party.

This may be because I chose to come to Bologna on my year abroad, the cities epithets are 'The red one, the fat one and the learned one' which respectively refer to the red buildings and politics of the city (which has only had one centre right mayor/administration since the second world war), the food and the home of the oldest university in Europe.

The protest on Bologna's main street today came as a complete surprise, no advertisements were put up and yet it attracted a crowd of a good few hundred people which grew as it proceeded. They were protesting about an attack by neo nazis last friday on some students who had been holding a sit in at a school injuring a few people. The protest had a friendly atmosphere with music blaring out and very few police - only two police cars at the front with a few policemen leading the march diverting the traffic for the protesters. The fact that this was a protest organised by students themselves, not necessarily united by a group or political organisation but by a shared sense of disgust at what had happened impressed me immensly.

I'm not saying it is perfect here by any stretch of the imagination, just a few weeks ago I saw a protest from a right wing political party called Lega Nord. They were protesting against the building of a mosque in Bologna and their propoganda included a photo of the main cathedral in Bologna with an image of thousands of muslims praying superimposed over it to make it look like they were praying at the cathedrals door.

However, I think it is a fact that students here are generally much less apathetic. It is a fact I admire about this country and wish it was true at home as well.

On a similar theme I went for coffee with a Polish friend this afternoon and he mentioned that he and three Polish friends (including one who is only visiting Bologna for 4 days) are travelling to Milan this Sunday (a 4 hour round trip) to vote as they feel so strongly that the current fraternal power duo need to go. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even vote in the last British local election and that was just a walk round the corner... I think I will make the effort next time, after what I've seen today.

I will no doubt post again with more observations, in the mean time I would love to hear peoples comments, be they in agreement or otherwise.