Anti-Cost-of-Living Protests Reach Italy: Clashes in Milan as Marches Fill 13 Cities
On the same day as France's nationwide protest day, anti-cost-of-living demonstrations were held in 13 Italian cities on Oct. 17. According to Reuters, the marches were called by "Italia in Piazza," a movement organized on social media with no party affiliation, modeled on the French protests the same day.
The sharpest clashes came in Milan, where more than 5,000 people rallied in Piazza del Duomo. A group of protesters hurled stones, paper bombs and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas and charges. Masked individuals caused disturbances around the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, shops pulled down their shutters, and the Duomo metro station was closed. Figures for injuries and detentions varied by source: Italian media reported four police officers and five young people injured, while the police union Coisp initially reported two officers taken to hospital and about 40 people detained.
Clashes were also reported elsewhere. In Bologna, protesters confronted police in front of the train station; officers used water cannon to disperse them and seven people were detained, and Mayor Matteo Lepore condemned the violence. Turin also saw clashes and property damage.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X that evening: "Protesting is a right; turning our cities into battlefields is not." With 550,000 people marching across France the same day over the cost of living, the Italian actions were widely seen as the protest wave crossing borders.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：意大利Milan大教堂广场（Piazza del Duomo）与埃马努埃莱二世拱廊入口（资料图），10月17日数千名抗议者曾在此集会。Romain Pontida 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Piazza del Duomo and the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan (file photo), where thousands of protesters rallied on Oct. 17. By Romain Pontida, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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