In 1969, there were more than 150,000 Fiat workers in Turin, including middle managers, technicians and office staff, but not counting the large number of employees in the direct and indirect supply industry around the Turin car manufacturing area. The shortage of housing, high rents and evictions, and discrimination against immigrants from the southern of the country fuelled social unrest in the factories and triggered a series of strikes and protests. The general strike on 3 July, which brought together several thousand strikers outside the FIAT factory in Mirafiori, was marked by clashes and scuffles with the police, and marked the start of the “Hot Autumn” (Autunno Caldo) that set the whole country alight.