Dispute between Marrone and UniTo over empty classrooms
Date of the event:
On 12 November 2026 the deputy president of the Piedmont Region, Maurizio Marrone, of Fratelli d'Italia, publicly accuses the University of Turin of not using the spaces made available by the regional authority to allow students to attend classes in person, in a context marked by the occupation of Palazzo Nuovo.
The occupations
The occupation of the Luigi Einaudi Campus, which lasted fourteen days, ended on 9 November 2026; the occupation of Palazzo Nuovo began almost at the same time. The student mobilisation has continued since the beginning of October, in a context in which protests in France had triggered occupations, first in secondary schools and then in university campuses. The protest is part of the lead-up to the student strike called for 20 November, on the occasion of the International Students' Day. [2]
Marrone's accusation
Faced with the suspension of in-person classes and the switch to distance learning, the Piedmont Region had made some spaces available to the University of Turin, including the Centro Congressi and Palazzo Lascaris. Marrone claims that these spaces remain empty: "For three days these halls have been available to the University of Turin, but everything is still deserted; the university has not taken advantage of this opportunity even though the occupation of Palazzo Nuovo had been announced days before." [2] The deputy president films himself in a video inside the deserted regional auditorium and addresses the rector, Cristina Prandi, directly, asking for "seriousness about resuming in-person teaching and ending the occupations," suggesting that the delays may depend on pressure from what he calls "red barons" within the university. [1] Marrone also argues that the cost of the damage and the inconvenience caused to students who pay university fees should be charged to the latter. [1]
The University's response
A statement from the University of Turin confirms the resumption, from 12 November, of in-person classes in the glass buildings of the Luigi Einaudi Campus along Dora Siena and the reopening to the public of the Norberto Bobbio Library, described as "a first, important step towards the Campus's return to full operation." [1] Excluded from the reopening, however, is the Palazzina Einaudi, for which the university reports no damage but announces that full restoration will take longer, with a full reopening planned for 16 November. [2] The university states that technical checks on the spaces and an assessment of the damage caused by the occupation are under way, and pledges to make the results public once the checks are completed. [1][2]
Sources
- "UniTo non sta ancora usando le aule della Regione" — TorinoOggi, 12 November 2026
- Occupazioni, campus Palazzo Nuovo, aule vuote: la polemica tra Regione Piemonte e UniTo — TorinoToday, 12 November 2026