Europe

Thousands In Rome Protest Lagging City Maintenance, Mayor

Protesters say Mayor Virginia Raggi hasn't done enough to fix the city's ongoing problems and that things have gotten worse.

Thousands In Rome Protest Lagging City Maintenance, Mayor
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Residents of Rome voiced their displeasure with the state of the city in protests Saturday.

The "Rome Says, 'Enough'" protests drew attention to the city's ongoing problems with trash collection, road maintenance and transport. News outlets have also pointed to the suspected murder of a teenager in the city as one incident that sparked the protests. 

And many protesters blame Mayor Virginia Raggi for the city's problems. She's Rome's first female mayor and a member of the populist Five Star Movement, which currently leads Italy's coalition government. 

Raggi said the protests were orchestrated by her political opponents. She's currently on trial for charges of lying to anti-corruption investigators. Raggi denies the allegation but has said she'll resign if found guilty. 

It's worth noting several of the problems the protesters drew attention to, like garbage collection and potholes in the city's roads, have been plaguing Rome for years. 

Additional reporting by Newsy affiliate CNN.