Italy protests turn violent: 50 detained in Milan, clashes spread to Turin and Bologna

Demonstrations against the rising cost of living in Italy, which followed similar protests in France, devolved into violent clashes with police across multiple cities. In Milan, the unrest was most intense, with protests turning to scenes of urban guerrilla warfare in the city center, particularly in Piazza Duomo. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse crowds that hurled objects, set off firecrackers, and vandalized shops. Riot gear charges also reached the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, leading to the closure of the M1 and M3 underground stations, and a portable toilet in the square was set on fire. By the end of the protest in Milan, 50 people were detained, half of them minors, and 25 individuals, including 10 police officers, were taken to hospitals, though no injuries required emergency red-code transport.

Clashes also broke out in Turin, where hooded protesters threw bottles, firecrackers, sticks, and stones at police. Officers stopped 12 people, 10 of them minors, who were found in possession of petrol bombs and cobblestones. In Bologna, violence was concentrated around the railway station and Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, where youths threw stones and knocked down dozens of hire bikes. Seven people were detained in Bologna as the protest moved through central streets.

In response to the violence, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged political opponents to condemn the unrest, warning against ambiguity and justifying it. Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala acknowledged that the protest's reasons were understandable but stated that the violence against police and the damage to the city were unjustifiable. Democratic Party officials similarly condemned the violent incidents, while emphasizing that the peaceful students advocating for better housing and education should not be criminalized.