Italy’s cabinet on Tuesday approved sending 500 additional troops to Milan to assist police after cost-of-living protests turned violent, and adopted tougher security measures, according to Euronews. The measures include penalties for violent protesters and parental liability for minors.
Demonstrations over the weekend turned violent in several Italian cities, including Milan, Turin and Bologna, according to Euronews. Protesters clashed with police and shops were looted.
Al Jazeera reports that the new legal measures take effect immediately. They include up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of €20,000 for people in groups of at least five who endanger public safety during protests. Authorities can order prompt compensation for damage, and parents can be held liable for minors’ damage, according to Al Jazeera. France 24 says the cabinet approved fines on parents for any damage, though its coverage is limited to short excerpts.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said organisers of violent demonstrations, including those who act through social media, could face four to 12 years in prison under a new offence, according to Euronews.
Italy’s Ministry of Defence said the military will help reinforce security at key sites, step up surveillance of sensitive locations and enhance monitoring, according to Al Jazeera.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video posted on X: "Destroying and stealing is not protest, it is crime, and the state’s response must be firm." Her remark is quoted by Euronews.
Euronews reports the measures form part of the government’s new Public Security Decree. The decree also extends delayed arrests to minors and presumes minors aged 14 to 18 can be held criminally responsible unless proven otherwise. Al Jazeera describes minors’ detention powers as applying to ages 14 to 17, and the sources do not reconcile the two age descriptions.
Al Jazeera reports that protests in the north were driven by anger over soaring fuel and energy prices, high rents, low wages and public services. A separate wave of truck driver roadblocks in the south is disrupting supply chains, it says. The disturbances came as hundreds of thousands protested in neighbouring France on Saturday, and Meloni faces pressure ahead of the 2027 national elections, Al Jazeera reports.
The cabinet did not grant soldiers policing powers. Euronews and Al Jazeera attribute this to opposition from President Sergio Mattarella, citing Italian media; no direct statement from Mattarella is included in the sources.
The sources do not say whether the decree needs parliamentary approval before it fully applies, and they give no arrest, injury or property-damage figures for the weekend clashes. Organisers, protesters and opposition groups have not responded in the sources. No timetable for troop deployment or implementation is given.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.