While aside from cheering on Brandon and cancelling flights, Americans have been relatively quiet about vaccine mandates, there have been true massive protests in Europe, Australia, and some other parts of the world. 

Pelosi, while visiting Italy for some tips on repression and fashion, almost got caught up in the action.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nearly crossed paths with thousands of people protesting vaccine mandates in Italy this weekend.

Pelosi, who was in Rome for a meeting with foreign leaders, was attending Mass in the city at St. Patrick’s Church. 

And, surprisingly, nothing burst into flames.

Outside the church, chaos was erupting as thousands of Italians took to the streets over Italy’s new requirement for workers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine in the form of a “green pass.”

Just minutes into the service, Pelosi and her husband were reportedly removed from the church by government officials concerned about her safety, according to a representative from Pelosi’s office.

Protests that continued into the night on Saturday turned violent.

Images showed tear gas being deployed by police to scatter large crowds of people across Rome. Some officers are seen hitting demonstrators with batons and hauling away bloodied men and women.

The violence spread to other parts of the city, including the headquarters of the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), one of Italy’s biggest trade unions. The group supports the health pass mandate, viewing it as a worker safety issue.

Rioters marched to the union’s offices, broke windows and managed to push their way into the union’s building. Once inside, they caused other damage, including smashing computers.

While the protests were fiery, they were mostly peaceful. 

But perhaps Pelosi got a little snapshot of what real protests can look like when people get fed up with political tyranny.