Italian authorities are preparing a security crackdown following violent disturbances that erupted during protests in Milan over the weekend. The demonstrations, which drew more than 5,000 participants, saw clashes between police and some protesters result in tear gas and water cannon deployments. Participants threw paving stones, bins, and chairs at officers, while stores were looted and property damaged, prompting high-end retailers to board up windows on the following Monday.
Prime Minister Meloni convened an emergency security meeting on Monday afternoon to address the unrest. According to local reporting, the government is expected to approve a decree law as early as Tuesday that would extend preventative detention authority to minors and impose restrictions on group gatherings. Police reported detaining over 250 individuals, with approximately 80 percent being minors. Of those taken to stations on Sunday, 32 were arrested—including 23 minors—while 28 others were referred to judicial authorities.
Disruption extended beyond Milan, with violent clashes also reported in Turin and Bologna in northern Italy. Meloni stated that individuals in Turin were apprehended while carrying cobblestones and window-breaking tools, and a train station in Bologna was closed as a precaution. The prime minister distinguished between legitimate protest rights and destructive behavior, characterizing participants in the violence as “hooligans” who had exploited the demonstrations to cause disorder.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala characterized the incidents as potentially representing a “new phenomenon” originating from international developments. Reports indicated social media played a role in mobilizing participants. Similar rioting has accompanied peaceful youth-led protests in other European nations including France, Spain, and Albania in recent weeks. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein reaffirmed her party’s opposition to violence while cautioning against using the disorder to suppress legitimate protest voices regarding cost-of-living concerns.
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