Meloni after riots: protest is a right, burning cities is not

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sharply criticized the violence that accompanied cost-of-living protests in Milan, Turin and Bologna, where 28 people were arrested and 104 officers were treated in Milan hospitals. Palestinian flags were also raised at the demonstrations.

Hilal Times Editorial DeskOctober 18, 2026, 08:22 PMUpdated: October 18, 2026, 08:34 PM

Meloni after riots: protest is a right, burning cities is not

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sharply condemned the violence at the “Italia in Piazza” protests against the cost of living. “Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” she said, urging the opposition not to be “ambiguous” about the violence.

The protests, called by a network active on Instagram against living costs, fuel prices and taxes, began in several cities on Saturday before turning into clashes with police. According to Sky TG24, police identified 197 people, arrested 28 and referred 43 to prosecutors.

Palestinian flags in the crowd

As in France, Palestinian flags were raised at the Italian protests alongside slogans against rising prices. Police say those involved were young people who came in small groups from the suburbs and other provinces, many of them minors.

Milan tops the toll

At the Milan protest, which drew about 5,000 people, 72 were taken to police headquarters, 17 were arrested and 104 officers were treated in hospitals. A Foot Locker store was wrecked and a Carabinieri car set on fire; Confcommercio estimates the losses at more than half a million euros.

In one video, police officers give first aid to a man injured in the head during the clashes.

Piazza del Duomo was the center of the clashes in the city.

Turin and Bologna

In Turin, the Feltrinelli bookstore at Porta Nuova station was stormed and three youths were caught with incendiary bottles. In Bologna, 38 police officers and six Carabinieri were injured and five minors arrested; scuffles also broke out in Bergamo and Brescia.

Government and city halls respond

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini proposed requiring protest organizers to post a financial guarantee under the motto “whoever breaks, pays.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it “unacceptable” that part of the center-left was “fanning the flames,” and Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore said the violence “first of all damages the cause of those who protest.”

The spires of Milan Cathedral (file photo)

High prices set Europe alight

Italy’s protests are part of a wider wave across Europe. Clashes broke out in Brussels and Liège in Belgium, tens of thousands marched in Portugal over wages and housing, and France is weighing a state of emergency after two days of unrest.

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