Riot police in northern Italy clashed with demonstrators Saturday as rallies over inflation and government policies escalated into unrest across multiple urban centers, including Milan and Bologna.
In central Milan, a march focusing on economic hardship and international conflicts deteriorated when masked participants hurled stones, paving slabs and other projectiles at security forces. Protesters torched street barricades assembled from outdoor cafe furniture, vandalized property and looted storefronts, ABC News reported. Television and photo footage showed a heavily damaged Carabinieri vehicle left in the wake of the confrontation.
Disruption Around Historic Landmarks
The violence forced authorities to clear the iconic Piazza del Duomo, typically crowded with tourists and weekend shoppers. Officers equipped with riot gear also moved to push hooded demonstrator groups away from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a historic luxury arcade, The Jerusalem Post reported. Surrounding retailers lowered their metal security shutters as pedestrians ran from the scene.
Transportation was snarled as authorities shut down the central Duomo subway station. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas volleys to scatter crowds. According to the LaPresse news agency, at least two officers suffered injuries during the skirmishes, and law enforcement detained approximately 50 people, including numerous minors.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala addressed the disorder, stating that while the underlying motives for public grievance were understandable, the aggression directed at law enforcement and the physical destruction of the city could not be justified, ABC News reported.
Unrest Extends to Bologna and Other Cities
Tensions were not confined to Milan. In Bologna, demonstrators engaged in confrontations that prompted police to deploy water cannons, leading to seven arrests, according to the ANSA news agency. The disturbances also forced the temporary precautionary shutdown of the city’s main railway station, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The weekend violence followed widespread student-led actions on Friday across several Italian cities under the banner of “No Meloni Day.” In Rome, roughly 20,000 demonstrators rallied against education budget policies and weapons spending, burning U.S. and Israeli flags and igniting rubbish bins, according to Ynetnews. Other student demonstrations with isolated clashes and property damage were reported in Turin, Verona, Genoa and Venice.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara denounced the student rallies as “political hooliganism,” insisting the behavior went far beyond legitimate democratic dissent. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini labeled those engaging in violence as lawbreakers rather than students, Ynetnews reported.
Political Condemnation and Upcoming Strikes
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni strongly criticized the weekend rioting on social media, insisting that while peaceful assembly remains a democratic right, transforming urban areas into scenes of devastation is unacceptable. Meloni specifically pointed to agitators who she said exploit public protests to create mayhem and attack personnel charged with preserving security.
The disturbances across Italy mirrored widespread rallies in neighboring France, where demonstrators similarly gathered this weekend to voice fury regarding reduced public spending and spiraling costs of living.
Italian student groups have indicated that their mobilization will continue, with organizers having already called for a broader general strike scheduled for Oct. 30.
