Protesters Briefly Breach the Colosseum in Rome as Italy's New Policing Powers Hold Back a Repeat of Milan's Riots

Protests inspired by the French unrest spread across Italy on Saturday, and some demonstrators got inside the Colosseum in Rome, Breitbart News reports.

Rome. Citing Rome's Il Messaggero, Breitbart says anarchist groups expected to stage riots were largely stopped from demonstrating. A looser group of student movements still drew about 2,500 people, and roughly 500 skirted police and entered the Colosseum. Police briefly used water cannons on a nearby street, and some shops closed. There was no widespread looting.

Milan and beyond. About 10,000 people marched in Milan. Il Giornale said "preventative checks decapitated the movement," with police screening thousands beforehand. Police arrested Youssef Siher, 30, the alleged organizer of the "October 17th Movement" that Breitbart says was behind last weekend's Milan riots and looting. In Florence and Bologna, protesters lit trash can fires and tried to build barricades.

The new law. The government recently issued a decree setting prison terms of 4 to 12 years for organizing violent demonstrations through digital platforms. It also allows wages or benefits to be garnished for riot damage, and parents of minors are held financially responsible.

What officials said. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said "the right to demonstrate must always be guaranteed, as must the right of citizens to live in their cities in safety." She said the new powers stopped "criminals and troublemakers from destroying entire cities." Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said those who choose "the path of illegality and violence will then take responsibility and answer to the judicial authorities."

Note for readers: Siher has been arrested, not convicted, and his side is not in the piece. Crowd and arrest figures come from Italian outlets via Breitbart, which we could not check. We covered the earlier Rome and France unrest.