Over 370 Detained in Italy After Cost-of-Living Rallies Prompt Crackdown
Thousands of demonstrators gathered across Italian cities on Saturday under heavy security, triggering a massive police response that resulted in nine arrests and the brief detention of 371 people across eight cities. Student groups, farmers, truck drivers, and shopkeepers across major urban centers felt the direct impact of the nationwide demonstrations as security forces contained sporadic clashes over rising living expenses and government public-order decrees.
Decrees Target Minor Detentions as 500 Soldiers Deploy to Milan
In Rome, a subset of demonstrators briefly broke into the Colosseum, while central Milan saw high-street traffic brought to a total standstill. In response to the unrest, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government deployed 500 soldiers to Milan and approved a decree that eases detention rules for minors while imposing direct financial fines on parents for public damage caused by underage protesters.
Police carried out dozens of pre-rally searches and arrested a 30-year-old man suspected of leading the “October 17 Movement,” the group behind the call to march. In Milan, several retail stores boarded up windows or closed early following looting during the previous weekend, though Mayor Giuseppe Sala urged business owners not to panic. Student organizations have demanded that the government divert funding away from military spending to address housing costs, fuel prices, and education budgets. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that 110 minors were among those brought to police stations during the operations.
The demonstrations follow a week of truck blockades that paralyzed logistics across southern Italy before being lifted, along with recent government emergency financial measures designed to assist businesses affected by regional fuel price spikes.
