Italy: Thousands of young people took to the streets of several Italian cities on Saturday to protest against rising living costs and government policies, prompting a major security deployment following violent demonstrations the previous weekend.
The demonstrations took place in Milan, Rome, Turin and Bologna, among other cities. While the march in Milan remained largely peaceful, brief clashes with police were reported in Rome and Turin, and demonstrations in Bologna turned violent.
Authorities deployed large numbers of police and soldiers to prevent a repeat of the looting, vandalism, and clashes that marred protests the previous weekend. Shops in several cities boarded up their windows or closed early amid fears of unrest.
Thousands of mostly young demonstrators marched through Milan, chanting slogans against the centre-right government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Some carried banners, including one reading 'No to lies of the state'.
A banner promoting the League party, led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, was torn down and set on fire during the march. A group of protesters also dumped manure outside Italy's energy regulator and burned an oversized symbolic electricity bill, according to images broadcast on local television.
Soldiers were deployed across the city, while luxury boutiques in Milan's fashion district, including Omega, Tiffany and Gucci, boarded up their windows. The Apple store also shut and remained closed even after other shops began reopening later in the day, Italian media reported.
The heightened security followed the previous weekend's violence, when rioters broke into shops and targeted sneakers, sportswear and sporting goods near the city's central Duomo square.
Meloni announced a series of measures, including the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers to Milan and tougher penalties for minors. Police had said young people made up a large proportion of those involved in the earlier violence. Media reports said police detained several minors in Milan as a preventive measure.
The additional soldiers joined hundreds already stationed in the city, supporting about 5,000 police officers and other security personnel. Authorities also used drone surveillance, railway station checks, rapid-response units and online monitoring to identify potential calls for violence.
A mayoral hopeful, Pierfrancesco Majorino, who announced his candidacy on Thursday, joined the marchers and remarked on how peaceful the demonstration had been, according to Italian media. He is expected to contest a centre-left primary in early 2027. Milan's centre-left mayor, Giuseppe Sala, who has held the post since 2016, is not running again.
The march ended peacefully on Saturday evening outside Milan Polytechnic, more than three kilometres from the city centre.
Officials said they were investigating a 30-year-old freelance journalist alleged to be the “mastermind” of the newly formed October 17 Movement, which has driven the recent protests in Italy.
Milan police said last weekend's violence and looting involved about 2,000 young protesters, many described by police as naturalised, second-generation Italians, alongside foreign nationals. Police arrested 45 people over two days, including 34 minors.
A group of about 30 far-right activists, described as hooligans linked to Inter Milan's football club, briefly appeared at the demonstration, chanting anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim slogans. Police kept the group isolated.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the soldiers deployed on Saturday had only recently been authorised to use plastic restraint ties, and only in areas around railway stations. He said they were not permitted to carry pepper spray or tasers.
In Rome, protesters forced their way through the gates of the Colosseum on Saturday, confronting security staff at the ancient landmark during a march against war and rising living costs.
The demonstrators deviated from the planned route and headed towards the Colosseum while tourists were still inside. Riot police moved into the area, but the tense standoff did not escalate into clashes with police.
Italy's Culture Ministry said no damage to the Colosseum site or injuries had been reported following the protesters' entry.
Later in the evening, clashes erupted between protesters and police elsewhere in central Rome. Officers used water cannons to disperse the crowd and took some demonstrators away.
At the end of the demonstrations, 11 people were reported to judicial authorities and 96 people, including six minors, were taken to police stations, police said in a statement.
Authorities had increased security around luxury shopping streets, Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo. Several hundred students also held a peaceful demonstration, stressing that they were not involved in rioting.
An anti-war march took place separately in central Rome. Organisers urged participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible to distance the demonstration from potential unrest.
However, some of the marchers briefly clashed with police near Piazza della Repubblica, despite organisers attempting to hold the crowd back using batons and tear gas. The protesters eventually retreated after police deployed a water cannon, moving to a location about half a kilometre away.
Riccardo Ponzio, national president of an Italian far-right student association, criticised the previous weekend's violence.
“I think the images from last week were truly something terrible, especially for the young people, for the students, for the vast majority of the younger generations who want to study … and do not accept being represented by those who use issues and needs to devastate entire cities,” he said.
In Bologna, several people were injured as demonstrations against war and rising living costs turned violent. Police fired tear gas and used a water cannon, while ambulances were sent to treat injured protesters, Rai News reported. Local broadcaster E'TV said police officers were also hurt. There was no immediately confirmed injury toll.
The violence began after about 1,000 people gathered in Piazza del Nettuno and marched through the city centre. Protesters threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at security forces, who carried out charges around Piazza dei Martiri and Via Marconi.
Clashes also broke out in Turin, where demonstrators protesting against rearmament and rising costs attempted to push through police lines. Officers used batons and tear gas, while protesters threw stones and bottles. The confrontations later spread to the Aurora neighbourhood.
The demonstrations were expected across Italy, but the organising October 17 Movement did not announce meeting points. Marches eventually began spontaneously in several cities.
The Italian government approved a series of security measures on Tuesday, including a new offence of “violent participation in a demonstration” and tougher penalties for rioters.
The protests come amid broader demonstrations across Europe over issues ranging from education and corruption to anti-war movements, pensions and housing affordability. Large gatherings were also reported in Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana on Saturday.
In Albania's capital, Tirana, riot police used water cannons against large groups of protesters, some of whom set government buildings on fire and threw projectiles at police. Authorities said 2,500 officers were deployed across the city.
For more than a week, protesters had thrown rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police, who responded with batons and tear gas.
High school and university students in Albania are demanding lower tuition fees, greater state investment in education and action against corruption in the education system. Some have joined a wider anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
A separate opposition protest outside the prime minister's office also turned violent, with some activists setting fires in the street. Rama said on Saturday that his government was preparing a response to the students' demands and invited them to talks, while warning that violent protesters would face penalties.
In Madrid, thousands of retirees and other demonstrators marched peacefully to demand that public pensions be protected from changes they fear could lead to privatisation.
“They are threatening us with privatizing pensions. It's just another thing they want to profit from,” said Maria José Benito, 68.
The protest took place ahead of next month's snap election, as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party criticised the conservative opposition Popular Party for making overtures about privatising public pensions.
Spain has also seen demonstrations over housing affordability, with rental and home prices rising beyond what many people can afford.
In Lisbon, protesters demanding affordable housing marched across the city, drawing inspiration from demonstrations in Spain. They opposed recent measures announced by the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, including easing the cap on annual rent increases and facilitating the eviction of tenants who fail to pay rent.
Montenegro has defended the measures, saying they aim to strengthen trust between tenants and landlords and boost the rental market. Protesters argue that the changes are unbalanced and leave tenants more vulnerable.
(With inputs from AP via PTI and Reuters)