(The Turkish Post) – Italy protests over the cost of living turned violent on Oct. 17, with 141 police officers injured and 28 people arrested as clashes broke out in Milan, Turin and Bologna, authorities said.
Police put the crowds in the thousands across several northern cities. Most demonstrators marched peacefully, but masked groups threw stones and charged at riot lines, and the government rallied behind the police.
Italy protests turn violent across the north
The marches were called by a movement known as Italy in the Square (Italia in Piazza) against rising living costs, fuel prices and tax pressure. Police estimated about 5,000 people in Milan, 3,000 in Turin, 2,000 in Bologna, 800 in Bergamo and 600 in Brescia.
Officers identified 197 people and brought them to police stations, and 43 were referred to judicial authorities, according to police figures. Of the 28 people arrested nationwide, 12 were minors. The Italy protests came amid a broader wave of anger over living costs in several European countries.
Milan sees the worst of the clashes
In Milan, the violence centered on the Piazza del Duomo. Masked protesters hurled stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police, and several shops were looted. The retail association Confcommercio estimated damage to shops and businesses at more than 500,000 euros, and a Carabinieri vehicle was destroyed. Police said 17 people were arrested in the city.
In Turin, police arrested an adult for resisting an officer and three minors accused of carrying Molotov cocktails. In Bologna, five minors were arrested after clashes near the central railway station, where police used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators who threw bottles, stones and barriers.
Milan has seen repeated demonstrations this year over soaring rents and housing costs, pressures that have drawn fresh attention as the city prepares to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Organizers said many of those who marched on Oct. 17 were students and young workers who say wages have not kept pace with prices.
Rome backs the police as leaders condemn violence
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni backed the police in a message on social media. “Once again, the women and men of the law enforcement have had to face the violence of criminals,” she wrote. She expressed solidarity with officers, urged opposition parties to condemn the violence and acknowledged that thousands had demonstrated peacefully.
Local officials in the affected cities also condemned the damage. Organizers said the marches were meant to be peaceful and blamed small groups for the disorder, while unions renewed their call for higher wages and lower prices.
Interior ministry officials said most of those detained were adults and that investigators would review video footage to identify those responsible for the worst of the violence. Additional officers were deployed in central Milan to protect shops and public buildings, and some businesses closed early.
Cost of living drives a wider European wave
The Italy protests echoed unrest elsewhere in Europe. On the same day, mass marches in France drew hundreds of thousands against rising prices, and earlier in the week student riots in Albania left dozens hurt in Tirana. European leaders had met days earlier at a European Union summit where energy costs and household budgets dominated the agenda.
The unrest in Italy, France and Albania has shared a common thread of anger among younger people over housing, wages and the cost of everyday goods. Governments across the European Union have faced pressure to offer relief on energy bills as winter approaches.
Fuel and housing costs have climbed across the continent this year, squeezing younger workers and students in particular. Organizers of the Italy protests said they would press their demands for lower prices and stronger public services, though no date had been set for the next national day of action by the evening of Oct. 17.
