Thousands pay tribute to woman murdered in northern Italy

FILE PHOTO: Students hold banners reading "Femincide is a state murder" and "We want us alive" as they perform a flash mob to protest against feminicide and violence against women, following 22-years-old Giulia Cecchettin's murder, outside University of Milan, in Milan, Italy, November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) - Thousands of people on Tuesday attended the funeral of an Italian university student who was murdered last month by an ex-boyfriend, in a case that triggered nationwide protests and demands for greater protection for women.

The killing of Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old student from a small town near Venice, shocked the nation and led to widespread soul searching over male chauvinism, which remains deeply rooted in Italy.