New protests are planned for today in various cities across Italy, with the government deploying military forces in Milan, one week after the looting and clashes with police.
Today’s rallies are taking place in the wake of measures announced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and include, among other things, stricter penalties for minors who, according to the police, were heavily involved in the groups of violent protesters who caused the disturbances.
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Milan
The 500 soldiers deployed to Milan are in addition to the hundreds already there and will assist approximately 5,000 police officers and other law enforcement personnel.
Authorities are conducting surveillance with drones, carrying out checks at train stations, deploying rapid-response units, and monitoring the internet for potential calls to violence.
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, has expressed concern that the incidents could recur over the weekend, and has stated that he supports the deployment of additional military forces.
İtalya’nın Milano kentinde şiddetli protestolar yaşanabileceği ihtimaliyle önlemler artırıldı ➔ Bakanlar Kurulunun hafta içinde aldığı karar doğrultusunda 500 asker, Milano kent merkezinde görev yapmaya başladı ➔ Bölgedeki birçok mağaza ve dükkanın dün akşam itibarıyla kepenk indirip vitrinlerini ahşap suntalarla kapattığı görüldü
— Anadolu Ajansı (@anadoluajansi) October 24, 2026Milano’da 17-18 Ekim’de meydanlara inen binlerce kişinin katıldığı gösteriler şiddet olaylarına dönüşmüştü https://t.co/8Nf5cW2XpH
Last weekend, rioters broke into stores, smashing their entrances, and targeted athletic shoes, sportswear, and fitness gear on streets surrounding the central Duomo Square, according to Arab News.
Officials said Saturday’s security measures would be extended beyond the city center, as there are concerns that protesters may move to other neighborhoods in order to avoid areas with a heavy police presence.
Walter Macchetti, secretary-general of the police union FSP, told the Associated Press that soldiers can provide immediate reinforcement but cannot resolve staffing shortages within the police force. As he noted, managing protests requires specialized police training.
Defense Minister Guido Crozetto, stated in a social media post that the military does not have the key resources used in public order operations. As he explained, soldiers have only recently been authorized to use plastic restraint ties, and only in areas around train stations, not throughout the entire city.
La polizia presidia Piazza Duomo per timori di una nuova guerriglia urbana a Milano. Anche i negozi di Via Torino, una delle vie maggiormente colpite lo scorso weekend, si preparano. https://t.co/4YXfZNvjaJ
— Local Team (@localteamit) October 24, 2026
According to him, soldiers are not authorized to carry pepper spray or Tasers.
The Milan police report that last week’s riots and looting involved approximately 2,000 very young protesters, many of whom were “naturalized Italians and second-generation Italians,” along with foreign nationals.
Within two days, the police arrested 45 people, 34 of whom were minors.
The Milan city councilor responsible for social welfare, Lamberto Bertolè, told the Associated Press that further investigation is needed to understand the social background and motivations of the young people who participated in the looting.
“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging, as well as prospects for the future. A segment of our society feels excluded, amid conditions of social and economic inequality,” said Bertolè, a member of the center-left Democratic Party.
Student rally with Italian flags
From 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., approximately one hundred high school and university students from Milan gathered in XXV Aprile Square under the name “Studenti col Tricolore” (“Students with the Tricolor”), following the riots and destruction that struck the city the previous week.
Behind a large banner reading “Studenti col Tricolore,” dozens of Italian flags filled the square.
The rally began with the strains of the Italian national anthem, the Inno di Mameli, which the young people sang beneath a sea of Italian flags.
This was followed by slogans that the crowd chanted loudly, such as: “From the city center to every neighborhood, Milan is ours and belongs to us.”
“This is a clear response to the images of violence and destruction from the past few days,” the organizers stated.
“A generation of students chose to take to the streets not to destroy, but to assert their connection to the city; not to hide behind covered faces, but to appear with their faces uncovered, under the colors of the Italian flag.”
For two hours, the square was filled with the green, white, and red of the Italian flag.
“Because Milan does not belong to those who destroy it. It also belongs to those who love it, live in it, and have the courage to defend it,” the organizers concluded.
Rome
Security measures were also heightened in Rome, where authorities placed luxury shopping streets under strict control and stepped up surveillance around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo, in anticipation of planned demonstrations, including a rally by far-right students.
An anti-war march is scheduled to begin in the early afternoon from the central Piazza della Repubblica, while there are concerns about the possible infiltration of violent groups among the demonstrators.
La diretta delle manifestazioni a Firenze e nel resto della Toscana: timori di violenze e saccheggi, il capoluogo blindato https://t.co/zRGiclLh8T
— La Nazione (@qn_lanazione) October 24, 2026
The organizers have sought to distance themselves from any potential incidents, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible.
Hundreds of soldiers in central Milan ahead of the protests; heightened security measures in Rome and Florence
In addition to Rome and Milan, protests are scheduled in at least seven other cities. The newly formed “October 17 Movement” is the main organizer of the protests, along with student federations, grassroots labor unions, and anti-war coalitions.
Surveys in 22 Italian cities following last weekend’s incidents
More than 150 investigations were carried out between Milan and Monza, as well as in 20 other cities, mainly in Lombardy, as part of the investigations underway following last weekend’s serious incidents.
The investigations also concern yesterday’s “announcements” on social media, which bore the signature of the October 17 Movement, but not only those.
Yesterday, members of this group—which was officially founded following last weekend’s clashes— had announced that they would choose three squares to gather in and then all meet together in “one large, unified square,” according to reports in *La Repubblica*.
Many security force and police vehicles have been deployed in the squares, though they do not appear to be causing much concern among passersby.
Amid the crowds of tourists and residents walking the streets, almost unnoticed, are the paratroopers of the Folgore unit, who arrived from Siena to reinforce the security forces.
Their Lince military vehicles are parked in neat rows in front of the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale). Some people are taking pictures of them as if they were part of an exhibition.
Armored shop windows in Florence and heightened security measures
Bulletproof protective covers have been installed on storefronts along Via Tornabuoni and other streets in Florence’s historic center, while jewelry stores, gold shops, and luxury watch stores on the Ponte Vecchio will close at 2:30 p.m., in anticipation of the demonstrations announced for this afternoon.
The decision was announced by Confcommercio Firenze-Arezzo, which is in contact with the provincial administration and the police department.
The association has called on its members to approach the day “with caution and prudence, without panic,” advising them to immediately report any suspicious activity or unusual situations.
Shops in the city center, however, remain generally open, with a few exceptions. The open-air market in Strozzi Square, scheduled for today and tomorrow, is also operating as usual.
As for security, the municipal police have deployed 32 patrols, which are being reinforced by the national police, the Carabinieri, the financial police, and riot control units.
Police officers, both in uniform and in plain clothes, are monitoring the squares where demonstrations may take place.
Checks are also scheduled at train stations and shopping centers in Florence and the surrounding province.
Source: Proto Thema
