Meloni Condemns 'Gangs of Thugs' After Cost-of-Living Protests Turn Violent Across Italy
Police were hurt and dozens detained in Milan, Turin and Bologna. The prime minister asked the opposition to condemn the violence without ambiguity; Milan's center-left mayor did.
Italy had its own night of street violence Saturday, days after the riots in France, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used it to press her opponents.
Fox News reports the demonstrations were organized by the CGIL, Italy's oldest labor union, with more than 5 million members. Protesters were angry about the rising cost of living, low wages, high rents and shortages in public services, and the marches were inspired by recent protests in France and Spain. Many people marched peacefully. Several marches did not stay that way.
What happened. In Milan, police and protesters clashed in front of the cathedral in Piazza del Duomo. The Associated Press, quoting LaPresse, reported 50 people detained, including minors, and at least two officers hurt, and water cannons were used to disperse the crowd. Rioters looted stores and smashed windows in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. In Turin, the interior ministry says about 100 officers were hurt and around 30 people arrested. In Bologna, Reuters, citing the police union, reported some 56 officers injured. Meloni said people in Turin were stopped carrying cobblestones and window-breaking hammers, and that the Bologna railway station was closed as a precaution. These figures come from different sources and cities, and Fox does not reconcile them.
Meloni's response. On X she said police had again faced "the violence of criminals who, even through organized groups, exploit demonstrations," and told officers "we stand with you." She wrote: "Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not." She asked the opposition to "unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and issue a clear appeal for every mobilization to be peaceful," adding that "any hesitation becomes justification." She also said she had "great respect for the thousands" who protested peacefully.
Her allies went further. Francesco Filini of her Brothers of Italy party, quoted by Il Sole 24 Ore, said left-wing extremists keep staging "organized destruction" and that these are "organized groups that plan violence."
Not a purely partisan view. Milan's center-left mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told the AP the reasons for the protests "were understandable," but "the violence against law enforcement and serious damage to the city are not justifiable."