Italy faced a turbulent day of demonstrations on Saturday, echoing unrest seen in France, with several protests turning violent. As some Italian politicians accused the far left of fueling the disorder, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence online and expressed support for police and other law enforcement personnel.
Meloni said officers had been working to protect citizens, employees, business owners and everyone entitled to move through their communities without fear. “We stand with you,” she wrote, criticizing gangs of rioters accused of damaging and setting fire to Italian cities.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends her annual press conference in Rome on Jan. 9, 2026. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Her Sunday morning comments followed clashes between protesters and police, with some of the most serious scenes unfolding near Milan’s historic cathedral in Piazza del Duomo.
According to The Associated Press, citing the LaPresse news agency, 50 demonstrators — including minors — were detained, while at least two police officers were injured. Authorities used water cannons to break up the crowd. Rioters also reportedly looted businesses and shattered windows in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the renowned 19th-century shopping arcade.
Meloni had condemned the unrest hours earlier, writing that “thugs” were exploiting demonstrations to create chaos, attack security personnel and hold entire cities hostage. “Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” she said.
ITALY-POLITICS-PROTEST-SOCIAL-DEMO A demonstrator kicks back a tear gas canister during clashes with police at an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. Inspired by recent protests in France and Spain, demonstrators are protesting against the rising cost of living, low wages, high rents and public service shortcomings, demanding better living and working conditions. (Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Imges)
The prime minister also called on opposition leaders to take a clear position, urging them to unequivocally denounce the violence and insist that all future demonstrations remain peaceful.
Francesco Filini, a lawmaker from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and its national program coordinator, told the Il Sole 24 news site that repeated outbreaks of destruction could no longer be accepted. He argued that the groups involved were not simply protesters, but organized networks that deliberately planned violence.
The Saturday rallies were organized by the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, or CGIL, Italy’s oldest labor union. The organization has more than 5 million members and is frequently associated with left-leaning political parties in the country.
Protesters clash with police during a demonstration against the rising cost of living and in support of better living conditions, on October 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meloni said she respected the “thousands” of people who demonstrated peacefully, describing public participation as essential to a healthy democracy. At the same time, she said the violence reported in several Italian cities could not be overlooked.
In Milan, she said, protesters threw stones at law enforcement officers, injuring police and causing damage severe enough to halt the march. Authorities in Turin reportedly stopped people carrying cobblestones and hammers used to break windows. In Bologna, disorder prompted officials to close the city’s railway station as a precaution.
“In the face of scenes like these, the rejection must be unanimous,” Meloni wrote. “Any hesitation becomes justification. Silence is not acceptable.”
Italian police clash with protesters in the center of Milan by the city’s historic cathedral on Oct. 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, a member of the center-left, said the protesters’ concerns were legitimate but drew a firm line at the violence. Speaking to The Associated Press, he said the issues motivating the rallies were understandable, while attacks on police and serious damage to the city could not be defended.
Reuters reported, citing the police union, that roughly 56 officers were injured during the demonstration in Bologna. Italy’s interior ministry said about 100 officers were hurt and approximately 30 people were arrested during the protest in Turin.
