Italy mobilizes to condemn violence and draws crowds

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Tens of thousands of people took part in protests across Italy, calling for an end to violence against women following the murder of a university student earlier this month.

Giulia Cecchettin allegedly killed through her ex-boyfriend a few days before finishing her studies.

Large crowds gathered in Milan and Naples, and the center of the capital, Rome, came to a standstill.

The Italian president said the killing of women could simply be tolerated.

In a statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Sergio Mattarella said: “Dramatic news has shaken the country.

“A humane society that aspires to be civilized cannot be satisfied with this series of attacks on women and murders,” she said, adding that violence against women is a failure of society.

Data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior shows that 106 have been murdered this year in Italy, 55 of them through their spouse or ex-spouse.

The protests are taking place amid public anger and introspection over the killing of Ms. Cecchettin, a 22-year-old biomedical engineering student who was due to graduate from the University of Padua last week.

Several occasions were planned for the day, adding processions, races, marches, flash mobs, sit-ins, and even free gynecological exams to raise awareness about gender-based violence and patriarchy in Italy.

Ms. Cecchettin’s father, Gino Cecchettin, marked the day by addressing academics at the University of Padua and unveiling a red bench on campus in memory of all victims of violence against women.

“Nothing will bring Giulia back, but I need a lot of projects to get out of her death,” he said.

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Cecchettin disappeared in November when she and Filippo Turetta went shopping for her prom suit.

The couple disappeared, but a few days later CCTV footage was released showing Turetta, 22, beating her former friend in a car park near her home in Vigonovo, near Venice, according to the investigating judge.

His body was found at the bottom of a ditch.

Turetta was arrested near Leipzig, Germany, after police issued a foreign arrest warrant and launched a manhunt against him.

He returned to Italy on Saturday afternoon and has still been officially charged.

According to the Corriere del Veneto news site, he is being held in Verona and the initial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, has expressed outrage at the long history of violence against her partners and ex-partners.

He promised a new educational crusade to fight what he sees as a culture of misogynistic violence that is still pervasive in Italy.

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