Nationwide demonstrations unfold across Italy amid rising unrest
Thousands of people were getting ready to take to the streets of Rome, Milan and other Italian cities on Friday as part of nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living and high military spending, reports BritPanorama.
Following several weeks of violent protests in Italy and throughout Europe, more widespread disruption is expected after the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) and other trade unions called on both public and private sector workers to strike and protest.
In Rome, many waved communist flags, anti-Iran war signs and Palestinian flags. Some let off pink smoke bombs and there was a jovial mood among the demonstrators as they lined up before the march, as has often been the case early on at previous protests, only for violence to later break out.
Major demonstrations were also anticipated in other cities, with protesters expected to blockade ports in Genoa, Livorno, Trieste and elsewhere.
It comes after a number of protests in recent weeks have turned violent. Groups of masked protesters looted stores in Milan and elsewhere, throwing projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons earlier this month.
Protesters also stormed Rome’s historic Colosseum on Saturday, while in the south, farmers and truckers blockaded highways and ports to protest high fuel prices which have surged since the war in Iran.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has made law and order a key tenet of her administration, stated earlier this month that she had “great respect” for peaceful protesters on X.
However, her right-wing government has since introduced tougher penalties for rioters, including financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting.
“There is nothing revolutionary about vandalizing and stealing. Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality,” Meloni asserted on social media after unveiling the legislation.
The government also announced the deployment of 500 army troops alongside the police in Milan until the end of 2026.
The demonstrations in Italy appear to have been partly inspired by those in France, where some of the worst rioting in decades erupted in cities across the country following student protests about the state of education, which evolved into broader actions regarding the cost of living and social security.
Elsewhere in Europe, a huge encampment of tents has occupied a square in the Spanish capital since late last month, and thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Portuguese city of Lisbon. Tear gas and water cannons were also deployed against black-clad protesters in Brussels.
