Women in Italy don’t feel safe – and now they are showing their anger

As another young woman is killed, Francesca Casonato looks at the protests around the country and why ‘burn everything down’ has become the call for systematic change

Giulia Cecchettin, 22, a biomedical engineering student, was found dead on 18 November (AFP via Getty Images)

As women are taking to the streets across Europe on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a new chant is rising up from the Italian demonstrations: “burn everything down”.

This is the message launched by the sister of Giulia Cecchettin, the 22-year-old biomedical engineering student who was found dead on 18 November.

Giulia went missing after having dinner with her ex-boyfriend at a local McDonald’s in the Venice province. After a week of frantic searches, her body was discovered near a lake.