Protesting and expressing dissent in Italy has become more difficult for everyone, but if a second-generation girl participates in a protest, it becomes an even more complicated problem. This is the story of Haji, a 17-year-old girl studying in Florence.
On November 8, 2025, she took part in a demonstration in Florence, together with her schoolmates, organized by the Sudd Cobas union in defense of the workers at the L’Alba ironing factory in Montemurlo, who had not been paid since August 2025.
Haji was not the only underage student who took part in the demonstration, but she was the only one of Moroccan origin. Her classmates and some trade unionists have stated that the girl was recently summoned by social services, alerted by the juvenile prosecutor’s office after a report by the police. It would appear that the interview was ‘almost an interrogation’. Social services reportedly carried out an ‘inspection’ at the girl’s home and will speak to her teachers and the staff at the gym she attends. She was also warned ‘not to participate in demonstrations anymore, threatening more serious consequences’.
The young people of the Collettivo Autonomo K1 (https://www.instagram.com/collettivo_k1/) founded in Florence at the Macchiavelli Capponi High School, have decided to report the incident with the support of the SUDD Cobas union (Sindacato Unione Democrazia Dignità), which operates mainly in the textile/fashion sector (particularly in Prato) and logistics.
The initiative is also supported by the councilors of the majority groups of District 3 (Gavinana-Galluzzo).
Therefore, a public meeting has been called for Sunday, March 1, at 3:00 p.m. in Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence, in support of their classmate and to defend the right to dissent.
The members of the autonomous collective K1 have also launched a petition in support of the student, which has already gathered more than 1,200 signatures in just a few days. Here is the link:
Sudd Cobas emphasizes that the students of the high school collective have always participated in their initiatives, but that such an episode had never occurred before. It highlights a “very dangerous signal,” detrimental to the freedom to participate in political demonstrations and exercise one’s rights: “This should not happen in a democratic country.”
