Italian police carried out searches at 150 homes across Milan and nearby cities Saturday as authorities prepared for a fresh wave of nationwide demonstrations.
The raids targeted individuals suspected of planning violence during upcoming protests, including 51 minors. Cities from Turin to Naples now brace for what could become another flashpoint weekend.
Organized by the 17 October Movement, demonstrations scheduled for Milan, Turin, Rome, Bologna, Naples, and smaller municipalities will focus on rising living costs, school underfunding, and solidarity with Palestine. Last weekend’s protests spiraled into chaos in Milan, where masked groups vandalized and looted shops throughout the city center.
As a result, retailers in Milan and Naples have boarded up storefronts with plywood. Authorities deployed 500 additional soldiers from the elite Folgore Parachute Brigade to patrol central Milan. Police also intensified ID checks at train stations and launched surveillance drones.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, facing widespread youth opposition, announced tougher penalties for minors following the looting. Authorities reported roughly 2,000 young people participated in last week’s ransacking.
Rome saw increased patrols and restricted access near Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo. Luxury shopping districts shut down. Right-wing student groups marched through the capital Saturday morning, countering the left-leaning protests that opposed Meloni’s government and demanded better schools, affordable housing, and cost-of-living relief.
An anti-war demonstration at Piazza della Repubblica was also scheduled for later.
The unrest echoes across Europe. French authorities mobilized 70,000 police officers and soldiers ahead of expected mass protests. Paris closed 24 metro stations and rerouted marches away from central squares. Courts overturned protest bans in Marseille and Limoges after civil rights groups filed emergency challenges.
Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally congress in Orléans drew up to 30,000 counter-demonstrators. Tensions mounted following Friday’s drive-by shooting near Paris that killed a 26-year-old martial arts instructor and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl. President Emmanuel Macron called it a “racist terrorist attack.”
What comes next remains unclear. Legal battles over protest restrictions continue, and demonstrators across France and Italy appear determined to march regardless of official bans or route changes.
