Protests in Italy against the rising cost of living, fuel prices and tax pressure have turned into mass riots.
Milan suffered the worst damage, where hundreds of young people dressed in black forced police to retreat under a barrage of improvised explosive devices, barriers and bottles, the Ansa news agency reports.
Similar clashes, in which young people threw stones and firecrackers at law enforcement officers, also took place in Turin, Bologna and Bergamo.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that the right to protest is legitimate, but that looting and vandalism in cities are unacceptable. She urged the opposition to condemn the violence, noting that any silence amounts to justifying it. Government officials criticised the centre-left for fuelling the conflict.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the reasons for the protest were understandable, but that violence and destruction were unacceptable. He called on politicians not to use the situation for pre-election PR. Sala said there was a high level of anxiety over protests that are out of control, and noted that there were not enough law enforcement officers in Milan to contain the crowd, so the ministry must provide more resources.
As a result of the clashes in Milan, at least four police officers and 20 protesters were injured, and more than 50 people were detained, half of them minors. According to police, groups of young people self-organised from the suburbs and other regions and seized the initiative from the march’s peaceful organisers.
In Turin, a peaceful march by city committees quickly came under the control of radical groups and teenagers from the suburbs. One of the organisers said he was beaten by a group of provocateurs after he called on them to remove their masks.
In Bologna, clashes broke out near the railway station, where protesters threw stones, bottles and smoke bombs at security forces, forcing police to use water cannon and tear gas.
- On Saturday, protests against the rising cost of living took place in Paris and other major cities across the country. In many cases, the demonstrations escalated into mass riots. Participants ransacked shops and set cars and buildings on fire. Historic city centres suffered significant damage.
- France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported 1,200 detentions and 150 injured law enforcement officers. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin called for an “extremely tough” response to the riots.
- In Belgium, protests in Brussels and Liège escalated into clashes with police. In the capital, demonstrators set fire to rubbish, damaged property and smashed the windows of the Brussels branch headquarters of the Socialist Party. Law enforcement officers used tear gas and detained around ten people. In Liège, a water cannon was used to disperse protesters.