Meloni calls emergency meeting after weekend of violent clashes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to convene an emergency security meeting on Monday following violent protests over the increasing cost of living in Milan. Over the weekend, more than 5,000 individuals participated in demonstrations. Police intervened by using tear gas and water cannons after demonstrators, donning masks, hurled paving stones, bins, and chairs at officers.

Meloni asserted that "demonstrating is a right, but destroying our cities is not," and accused "hooligans" of exploiting the protests to "spread chaos." Similar unrest has erupted in other European nations, including France, Spain, and Albania. Milan's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, expressed concern that this was "a new phenomenon originating from an international scenario," citing smashed shop windows, looted stores, and frightened citizens.

Police detained over 200 individuals during the clashes in Milan, with 80% of them being minors. The city's prosecutor's office has requested prison sentences for five adults accused of looting, vandalism, and resisting arrest. Clashes also spread to Turin and Bologna, where protesters carried cobblestones and window-breaking hammers, and a train station was closed as a precaution.

Meloni urged her political opponents to condemn the rioting unequivocally, warning that any hesitation could be interpreted as an endorsement. The Democratic Party's leader, Elly Schlein, emphasized that her party had consistently condemned violence and stressed that rioting should not be used to silence peaceful protesters facing economic hardships.

This violent episode followed anti-government protests led by students in various Italian cities on Friday, mirroring similar unrest in neighboring France, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets.