'No to the use of violence, yes to dialogue and peaceful manifestation of one's ideas': statement from the rectors of Scuola Normale Superiore and Sant'Anna School on the events that occurred on the morning of Feb. 23 in Pisa and Florence

"We are deeply disturbed by what happened today, Friday, Feb. 23, in Pisa and Florence and express our solidarity and sympathy with the students. As citizens, parents, and university rectors, we believe that the use of violence is inadmissible in the face of the peaceful manifestation of ideas.

We hope that clarity will soon be shed on the dynamics of the events and ask for the motivations that prompted the police to act so harshly against female students and students, including minors, some of whom suffered bruises. Facts like these cannot and must not happen again. It is especially serious that some of these incidents had as their backdrop the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa, a place symbolic of free thought and free research.

The Scuola Normale Superiore and the Sant'Anna School, institutions founded on the values of democracy, dialogue, and freedom, demand that all necessary measures be put in place immediately to protect freedom of expression and encourage a return to calm." 

Luigi Ambrosio, director of the Scuola Normale Superiore 
Sabina Nuti, rector of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna