18.10.2026 17:41
The protests started by high school students in France are spreading across Europe in waves. In Italy, protest demonstrations were held in different cities against the cost of living and the Meloni government. As protesters and police faced off, the security forces' intervention was harsh.
Clashes broke out during protests held in various cities in Italy against the high cost of living and the right-wing coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni.
THE SQUARE TURNED INTO A BATTLEFIELD
Many cities across the country witnessed protests against the government and criticizing the high cost of living. In particular, the clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Milan caused Duomo Square and its surroundings in the city center to turn into a battlefield.
Protesters, mostly young people, gathered in Duomo Square to protest high living costs and the government, faced off with security forces.
POLICE INTERVENED WITH PEPPER SPRAY
Some demonstrators threw stones, smoke bombs, fireworks and garbage bins, while police responded with water cannons and tear gas. Security forces also intervened with batons on San Babila Square and Vittorio Emanuele Street near the Duomo. According to news in the national press, tensions also rose in protests in the cities of Bologna and Turin outside Milan.
In Bologna, students and security forces clashed from time to time in front of the Central Train Station. Police teams sprayed protesters with water cannon and tear gas, while some protesters also threw stones, metal and explosive fireworks at security forces. In Turin, at the demonstration protesting high living costs, scuffles broke out from time to time between young protesters and security forces.
Meanwhile, in the capital Rome, a march organized by the country's largest trade union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), and attended by tens of thousands of people ended without incident. While workers protested the high cost of living and the government, they decided to call a national strike for November 20.
MELONI REACTS TO PROTESTERS
Prime Minister Meloni, in a post on the social media account of US-based company X regarding the demonstrations, stated that she has great respect for the thousands of people who demonstrate peacefully.
Meloni said, "Whatever ideas people demonstrate to defend, participation forms the basis of every healthy democracy. However, on the other hand, we cannot ignore what happened in other cities in Italy. In Milan, as seen in these images, stones were thrown at security forces, police officers were injured, and incidents of damage and violence occurred. In Turin, people carrying paving stones and glass-breaking hammers were detained. In Bologna, the train station was closed for precautionary measures due to the incidents. Demonstrating is a right. Turning our cities into a battlefield is not a right."
Meloni also called on the opposition to clearly condemn the violent incidents.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Matteo Salvini reacted to the incidents and described the protesters as "cowards and criminals."