Students clashed with police in Milan during a protest against government cuts in education spending.<br /><br />The clashes happened outside the Lombardy regional government offices. <br /><br />Protesters threw red dye into a public fountain in Milan close to the regional government’s offices as a symbol of “bleeding public schools”. <br /><br />The angry protests followed earlier demonstrations in Rome but also in the north in Turin and Palermo in the south.<br /><br />The Italian students demanded greater investment in education and opposed cutbacks in the 2014 budget.<br /><br />Even though the Italian government has already passed a number of austerity measures, the European Commission warned that Italy’s draft budget still may not comply with new debt and deficit rules.<br /><br />The Italian government is under pressure from creditors to cut its spending even further and the parliament is considering a “stability law” that will cut public services significantly. Along with protests about cuts to the education budget made by the government, the students are also complaining about high tuition fees.