Demonstrators cry ‘eat the rich’ during Milan Expo
Protests and police clashes mark opening of Italy’s food-themed world fair.
Protesters have squared off with police at the launch of Milan’s Expo 2015, a six-month-long culture and technology fair. Police on Friday fired tear gas at the demonstrators, some of whom threw stones and set cars alight.
The theme of Expo 2015 is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” and is focused on sustainable food production. But this latest iteration of the world fair has come under fire from critics, including Pope Francis, for what many call a wasteful, business-driven agenda.
Protesters demonstrated against everything from austerity policies to corporate sponsors of the expo. Twitter users shared news and images from the protest with #NoExpo2015, which has been used more than 3,800 times over the past day.