Italy Sends 500 Troops to Milan Before Rallies in Eight Cities
Police executed 150 additional raids across Lombardy on Saturday morning ahead of protests called by the October 17 Movement.
By Kwame Silva ·
Italy is deploying 500 soldiers to Milan ahead of demonstrations planned on Saturday in eight cities, following the detention of 271 people at a protest in the financial hub last week. Of those detained on Sunday, 220 were under 18, according to Corriere della Sera.
The unrest began last Sunday, when a Milan protest against the cost of living and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government turned into clashes with police and looting. The demonstrations were organized by the October 17 Movement, formed recently alongside student federations, grassroots trade unions and antiwar coalitions. On Instagram, the group said, "Those who deny our future are truly violent," and added, "We distrust this government because we see it as authoritarian."
Following the looting, the government announced security measures that include the troop deployment to Milan. Police carried out raids on Friday in several cities targeting people suspected of looting and rioting, the news agency Adnkronos reported, and a further 150 raids were conducted on Saturday morning in Lombardy. Police also located and questioned the administrator of the October 17 Movement's Instagram account; Corriere della Sera identified him as a 30-year-old Italian-Moroccan freelance journalist and researcher under investigation on suspicion of "inciting crimes."
The public prosecutor has blamed social media for drawing young people into what he described as "insurrectional acts." Justice Minister Carlo Nordio told Sky TG24 that the country needed to "expand the capacity of our youth detention facilities" in response to the arrests of minors. Lawyer Michele D'Agostino, who is defending two demonstrators aged 21 and 15, said the younger client "didn't even know the reasons behind the protest; he had just seen it on TikTok and decided to check it out with a friend."
Truck drivers set up roadblocks in southern Italy earlier this week over fuel prices, cutting supplies to markets for days. On Thursday, the government granted tax breaks and created a special fund for farmers and fishermen.
The October 17 Movement has kept the Saturday rally locations secret until the last minute. Three meeting points were expected to be announced on its social media accounts on Saturday afternoon.
