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The Italian government is assessing new measures to tackle public disorder after a weekend of riots in Milan that echoed similar unrest in France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said as she chaired a high-level security meeting on October 19. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and intelligence chiefs attended the gathering at Palazzo Chigi in Rome to review intelligence reports and consider options including potential decrees targeting minors involved in violence. The summit comes as the centre-right administration faces criticism ahead of national elections scheduled for next year.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse groups of mostly hooded youths who smashed shop windows, looted stores and threw objects at officers around Milan’s Piazza Duomo on both Saturday and Sunday. The disturbances broke out on the fringes of authorised demonstrations against the rising cost of living and poor public services that also saw unrest in Turin, Bologna and other northern cities. Retailers suffered significant damage with Confcommercio estimating losses from Saturday’s events in Milan alone at more than 500,000 euros according to local reports.
The Department of Public Security figures show 141 law enforcement personnel were injured during Saturday’s protests across several cities while 197 individuals were identified, 28 arrested including 12 minors and six foreigners, and 43 reported to prosecutors. Italian media reported that more than 200 people were detained over the weekend with around 80 percent of them being minors, many of whom had no apparent ties to organised political groups. Prosecutors have sought prison terms for five adults on charges of looting, vandalism and resisting arrest.
Meloni condemned the violence in a social media post, stating “To demonstrate is a right. To lay our cities to waste is not” and describing those responsible as hooligans who exploited the protests to sow chaos. She called on opposition parties to issue unambiguous condemnation, warning that any hesitation would amount to justification. The premier added that defending honest citizens and those who ensure safety must take precedence over any leniency toward the violent.
Similar scenes of looting and clashes with police have been observed in France where protests over living costs turned highly violent, a pattern that several outlets noted in coverage of the Italian events. The Milan unrest followed Friday demonstrations by high school students that also led to incidents in multiple cities. Authorities described the youths involved as a mix of Italian and second-generation individuals acting in loose groups.
Tension arose between national and local officials with Interior Minister Piantedosi responding to Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala’s criticism over police deployment by labelling him a radical chic leftist. League party leader Matteo Salvini has pushed for preventative detention measures to apply to minors and greater powers for police including use of tasers and water cannons. The government is reportedly considering elements of a pending security package for urgent implementation via decree.
