SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: November 21, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Sapienza University of Rome

Region & Country:Europe | Italy

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On November 21, 2024, clashes broke out between members of the Student Collectives, a left-wing student group, and University Action (Azione), a right-wing student group, during student elections at Sapienza University of Rome. A university security guard was injured during the clash.

The clash was sparked after members of the Collectives began throwing bottles and stones at students affiliated with Azione, who were passing out leaflets during student election voting.

Video shows the two groups pushing and shoving each other near the Faculty of Economics. During the fighting, a stone hit a university security guard in the head.

Police, clad in riot gear, separated the two groups, and reportedly escorted members of the Collective out of the university.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent attacks by students against other students in retaliation for their exercise of their rights to freedom of association and expression. Scholars at Risk calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid violence. State authorities have the right and obligation to maintain order, which they must with due regard for the rights of protesters and others, including the rights to free expression, academic freedom, peaceful assembly, and due process.

Sources:
https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/roma-la-sapienza-scontri-tra-azione-giovani-e-i-collettivi-universitari
https://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/scontri-sapienza-collettivi-sinistra-destra-oggi-21-novembre-2024.html#:~:text=Momenti%20di%20tensione%20all’universit%C3%A0,sinistra%20e%20studenti%20di%20destra.
https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/24_novembre_21/roma-scontri-all-universita-sapienza-fra-collettivi-di-sinistra-e-studenti-di-destra-vigilante-ferito-da-una-sassata-alla-testa-2bccfc98-ca94-4307-9f6c-7da537ef2xlk.shtml
https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/24_novembre_22/sapienza-tensione-e-scontri-tra-universitari-di-destra-e-sinistra-vigilante-ferito-cdc293a7-7fff-4fa5-8bfd-a97a09993xlk.shtml
https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/24_novembre_20/sapienza-scontri-tra-studenti-durante-le-elezioni-interne-azione-universitaria-noi-aggrediti-dai-collettivi-di-sinistra-55aa96c3-fb4c-416a-bb0a-4fa3f2226xlk.shtml
https://www.ilfoglio.it/scuola/2024/11/21/video/ancora-scontri-alla-sapienza-gli-studenti-di-azione-universitaria-scortati-fuori-dall-universita–7171530/