Italy Approves New Security Measures After Violent Protests in Milan

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has approved a series of security measures, including the deployment of 500 military personnel in the financial capital Milan, in response to youth-led protests that turned into riots over the weekend.

"There is nothing revolutionary about vandalism and theft. Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are crimes," Meloni wrote on social media on Tuesday as she announced the decree.

Riots broke out on Saturday in Milan during an otherwise peaceful march over the rising cost of living and poor school conditions, inspired by similar protests in Spain and France.

Mainly young groups looted shops, smashed windows and clashed with police again on Sunday, with unrest also reported in Bologna and Turin.

The measures announced

According to Italy's defence ministry, the cabinet approved sending 500 troops to Milan until the end of the year to maintain security at key sites, step up surveillance of sensitive areas and increase monitoring across the region.

It remains unclear what the military will be permitted to do, as the cabinet did not grant soldiers additional police powers following objections from President Sergio Mattarella. In Italy, the military is responsible for defence while police carry out investigations and arrests.

Under the new legal measures, which take effect immediately, the government has also introduced a new offence of "violent participation in public demonstrations", targeting people who gather in groups of more than five and use objects capable of causing harm, such as stones, sticks and firecrackers.

The offence carries a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 20,000 euros (about $22,440).

The decree text also invokes the principle that "whoever breaks it pays for it" as grounds for holding parents financially responsible for damage caused by their children. The state can seek compensation from parents' assets or by deducting from public benefits the family receives.

Children and adolescents aged 14 to 18 will also be subject to administrative detention, even if they have not committed an offence, if there is evidence that they pose a danger, extending powers previously applied only to adults.

Additional measures include longer prison sentences, of up to 12 years, for those who use social media or online tools to organise groups for violent public demonstrations.

Gregorio Sorgona, a historian at the University of Palermo, argued that the measures fail to take into account young people's growing discontent, which stems from a "fundamental contradiction": "On one hand, the display of wealth and riches as a model of success; on the other, a deep crisis characterised by economic precariousness."

"For young people living in poverty, the inability to access the symbols of wealth can stimulate violent behaviour and looting," Sorgona told Al Jazeera. "Before dealing with the consequences, we need to address the causes, starting with growing social inequality."

How the weekend unfolded

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans took to the streets in Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and Portugal on Saturday in largely uncoordinated protests against the rising cost of living in their countries.

In Milan, rioters clashed with police, looted shops and set property alight in the city centre, leaving Piazza del Duomo and a usually crowded luxury shopping district deserted.

A march against war and the rising cost of living began peacefully, but masked protesters threw stones, paving tiles and other objects at riot police and set fire to barricades built from cafe tables.

Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least two police officers were injured and about 50 protesters, many of them minors, were detained, Italy's LaPresse news agency reported.

In Bologna, police also said that alongside peaceful marches, protesters threw stones and clashed with officers. In Turin, hooded protesters used rubbish bins and outdoor furniture to build barricades and threw firecrackers, sticks and stones at police.

Reaction to the new measures

Protesters say the measures do not address the root causes of the violence, namely rising prices pushing families into poverty. A shortage of affordable housing, higher household costs and weakened public services have led many young people to say they no longer expect to have a better life than their parents.

Prices have risen by about 2 percent a year on average, but soared in 2022 when annual inflation in Italy reached 8.7 percent. The increase was driven mainly by escalating energy costs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Between 2000 and 2025, the cost of everyday essentials such as food, energy, transport and household bills in Italy rose by 68 percent, while average pay for full-time work fell by nearly 5 percent.

Genoa Mayor Silvia Salis said: "Young people need to be listened to, but in Milan and Turin we saw violence whose only purpose was vandalism."

"However, the response should be inclusion," she said, according to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper.

Non-governmental organisations, including Associazione Antigone, which promotes human rights in the prison system, warned that mass arrests of young people would only worsen existing problems. According to the group, longer and more numerous prison sentences will make prison overcrowding worse. According to government data, Italy's prison population has grown by more than 17 percent in four years.

The organisation said in a Facebook post that while about one in seven children (13.8 percent) lives in poverty, the government has not formulated any policy to address the issue.

Sorgona therefore argued that the latest measures are unlikely to prevent further protests and violence, just as they failed in Genoa ahead of the 2001 G8 anti-globalisation protests, when 300,000 people marched and police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

"Deterrence is not necessarily an effective tool for preventing the radicalisation of conflict, especially in a society marked by poverty and social division," Sorgona said.

"The decree risks increasing protests and leading to the arrest of thousands of suspects on unclear legal grounds."