Protest at the opening of the 2026/2027 academic year of Unito
Date of the event:
On 26 October 2026, at 11am, the ceremony opening the 2026/2027 academic year of the University of Turin (Unito) is held at the School of Management and Economics, on corso Unione Sovietica in Turin. The ceremony becomes the target of protests by student collectives, amid an already tense climate in the city following demonstrations and clashes in the previous days [1].
The protests
A group of several dozen students belonging to the Cambiare Rotta and CUA (Collettivo Universitario Autonomo) collectives gathers outside the Economics faculty building, guarded by police. The demonstrators display the Cambiare Rotta flag and a banner reading "Unito is not for sale. Out with war and Zionists. Prandi resign" [2]. Through megaphones the activists chant slogans against the university's governance and issue a broader appeal: "Across Europe a wave of revolt is rising" [2][3].
The reasons for the protest
At the centre of the criticism is the presence, as the sole official guest at the ceremony, of former Italian ambassador to the UN Maurizio Massari, criticised for positions expressed towards the UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip [1][3]. The demonstrators also call for the resignation of the rector, Stefania Prandi [3].
A second reason for the protest concerns the framework agreement signed between the University of Turin and Confindustria, which, according to the vice-rector for Innovation, Pronti, provides for the development of dual-use technologies also linked to the military sector. The collectives describe such agreements as "war-related" and declare, through megaphones, "we will not pay for war" [1][2].
The protest movements also accuse the university's governance of choosing a peripheral venue for the ceremony, far from the city centre, in order to avoid protests [1].
Sources
- Massari ospite all’inaugurazione dell’anno accademico, i collettivi studenteschi si preparano alla contestazione — Quotidiano Piemontese, 26 October 2026
- Contestazione all'inaugurazione del nuovo anno accademico a Torino — ANSA Piemonte, 26 October 2026
- Proteste all’inaugurazione dell’anno accademico a Torino: “Fuori i sionisti dall’università” — Quotidiano Piemontese, 26 October 2026