Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has responded to days of violent youth demonstrations with a set of hardline security measures, deploying the army to Milan and moving to make it easier to detain minors as young as 14. The crackdown has drawn fierce criticism from the opposition, which accuses the government of “militarizing the cities.”
Protests that began over the rising cost of living and students’ anxiety about their future have escalated in recent days, particularly in the northern cities of Milan, Turin and Bologna, where demonstrations have turned into clashes with police. Shops have been looted and storefronts smashed — scenes the government has branded unacceptable.
Martial Response to Street Unrest
Meloni’s package of measures goes beyond the deployment of troops to Milan. It includes provisions to facilitate the pre-trial detention of minors from the age of 14 and the creation of a new offense of “violent participation in a demonstration.” Critics say the response echoes the security playbook of her political lineage rather than addressing the grievances driving the unrest.
The opposition has condemned the moves as a disproportionate reaction to social protest, warning that sending soldiers into city streets risks inflaming rather than calming an already tense situation.
Anger Over Cost of Living Fuels Revolt
As in France, where similar protests have erupted in recent days, the unrest in Italy is rooted in the soaring cost of living and a sense of despair among young people about their prospects. Student demonstrations have in some cases degenerated into looting and vandalism, mirroring the violence seen on the margins of rallies in Paris.
The measures appear to have done little to intimidate Italy’s youth or the trade unions. Further demonstrations are planned across the country this weekend, and calls for a general strike have been issued beginning October 30.
Protest Wave Crosses Borders
The unrest is part of a broader European wave. France is bracing for a new round of demonstrations on Saturday, October 24, and several countries have urged their nationals to exercise caution following the violence that accompanied the October 17 protests in France.
The slogan “Everybody hates the police,” long a staple of French street protests, has also traveled abroad, taken up by demonstrators in the United Kingdom and beyond — a sign that the anger over living costs and policing is increasingly shared across borders.
