Security forces deploy as Milan braces for another day of protests

The Italian government has sent hundreds of soldiers to the country’s financial hub before anticipated unrest.

Italian army paratroopers patrol the streets of Milan, on Saturday, ahead of an expected protest against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services [AP Photo/Antonio Calanni]

Milan, Italy – Protests have been called in eight Italian cities on Saturday to demonstrate against Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government and the rising cost of living, a week after demonstrations in Milan spiralled into clashes with police and looting.

It follows the announcement online of a new round of protests by a newly formed group calling itself the ‘October 17 Movement’, which has been the main driver of demonstrations alongside student federations, grassroots trade unions, and antiwar coalitions.

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“Those who deny our future are truly violent,” it said on Instagram. “We distrust this government because we see it as authoritarian.”

In response to last weekend’s looting, the government announced a series of new security measures, including the deployment of 500 soldiers to Italy’s financial hub.

On Friday, police carried out raids and searches in several cities, against people suspected of taking part in looting and rioting in last weekend’s protests, the Italian news agency Adnkronos reported. Officers conducted another 150 raids on Saturday morning in the northern region of Lombardy.

But on its Telegram channel, the October 17 Movement said many of those planning to demonstrate wanted to voice their dissent peacefully.

“We must be peaceful. If we give [the police] an excuse, they will charge against us,” a participant identified as E said on Thursday.

Others have stressed that there is no distinction between those who engage in violence and peaceful protesters. “It’s just us,” said a member identified as Q.

Italian army paratroopers patrol the area around Milan’s Duomo Cathedral, Italy, on Saturday, ahead of expected protests against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services during one of several protests in Italy organised by groups across the political spectrum [Antonio Calanni/AP]

Protesters decided to keep the location of the demonstration secret until the last minute. Three meeting points were expected to be announced on their social media accounts on Saturday afternoon.

In the meantime, police confirmed to Al Jazeera that they had located and were questioning the administrator of the group’s Instagram page. According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, he is a 30-year-old Italian-Moroccan freelance journalist and researcher. He is currently under investigation on suspicion of “inciting crimes”.

Most of the protesters arrested on Sunday were very young. Of the 271 people arrested, 220 were under the age of 18.

Some joined the protests after being unexpectedly added to a Telegram group, Corriere della Sera reported.

“They said that they would raise chaos and we could take a lot of goods,” one of them said.

Lawyer Michele D’Agostino is defending two demonstrators, aged 21 and 15.

“[The youngest one] didn’t even know the reasons behind the protest; he had just seen it on TikTok and decided to check it out with a friend,” D’Agostino told Al Jazeera.

“He was not among the looters, but he did not realise the seriousness of what was happening,” he said.

The public prosecutor has blamed social media for misleading young people into taking part in what he described as “insurrectional acts”.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio told Sky TG24 that there was a need to “expand the capacity of our youth detention facilities” in response to the mass arrests of people under the age of 18.

Earlier this week, truck drivers set up roadblocks in several regions of southern Italy to protest soaring fuel prices, leaving many markets without supplies for days. On Thursday, the government sought to offer them some relief by granting tax breaks and establishing a special fund for farmers and fishermen.

意大利政府已向该国金融中心派遣数百名士兵，以应对可能发生的动乱。

周六，意大利陆军伞兵在米兰街头巡逻，预计当天将举行抗议活动，反对不断上涨的生活成本和日益恶化的公共服务。[美联社照片/安东尼奥·卡兰尼]

意大利米兰——周六，意大利八个城市举行抗议活动，示威者抗议乔治亚·梅洛尼的右翼政府和不断上涨的生活成本。此前一周，米兰的示威活动演变成与警察的冲突和抢劫。

此前，一个名为“10月17日运动”的新成立团体在网上宣布发起新一轮抗议活动。该团体一直是示威活动的主要推动力量，其他推动力量还包括学生联合会、基层工会和反战联盟。

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“那些否定我们未来的人才是真正的暴力分子，”该组织在Instagram上写道。“我们不信任这个政府，因为我们认为它是专制的。”

针对上周末发生的抢劫事件，政府宣布了一系列新的安全措施，包括向意大利金融中心部署 500 名士兵。

据意大利通讯社Adnkronos报道，周五，警方在多个城市展开突袭和搜查行动，目标是涉嫌参与上周末抗议活动中的抢劫和骚乱的人员。周六上午，警方在北部伦巴第大区又进行了150次突袭行动。

但在其 Telegram 频道上，“10 月 17 日运动”表示，许多计划示威的人希望以和平的方式表达他们的异议。

“我们必须保持和平。如果我们给（警方）任何借口，他们就会指控我们，”一位化名为E的参与者周四表示。

另一些人则强调，暴力分子和和平示威者之间没有区别。“我们就是其中一员，”一位化名为Q的成员说道。

周六，意大利陆军伞兵在米兰大教堂附近巡逻，预计当天将举行抗议活动，反对不断上涨的生活成本和日益恶化的公共服务。这是意大利各地由不同政治派别团体组织的多场抗议活动之一。[Antonio Calanni/AP]

抗议者决定将示威地点保密到最后一刻。预计周六下午将通过他们的社交媒体账户公布三个集合地点。

与此同时，警方向半岛电视台证实，他们已找到并正在讯问该组织Instagram账号的管理员。据意大利《晚邮报》报道，此人是一名30岁的意大利裔摩洛哥籍自由撰稿人和研究员。他目前因涉嫌“煽动犯罪”而接受调查。

周日被捕的抗议者大多是年轻人。在被捕的271人中，有220人未满18岁。

据《晚邮报》报道，一些人是在被意外拉进一个 Telegram 群组后加入抗议活动的。

其中一人说：“他们说他们会制造混乱，这样我们就能抢走很多货物。”

律师米歇尔·达戈斯蒂诺正在为两名示威者辩护，他们分别为 21 岁和 15 岁。

“（最小的那个）甚至不知道抗议背后的原因；他只是在TikTok上看到了，然后决定和朋友一起看看，”达戈斯蒂诺告诉半岛电视台。

“他虽然没有参与抢劫，但他并没有意识到事情的严重性，”他说。

公诉人指责社交媒体误导年轻人参与他所说的“叛乱行为”。

与此同时，司法部长卡洛·诺迪奥告诉天空电视台TG24频道，鉴于大规模逮捕18岁以下人士，有必要“扩大青少年拘留设施的容量”。

本周早些时候，卡车司机在意大利南部多个地区设置路障，抗议燃油价格飙升，导致许多市场连续数日断货。周四，政府试图通过减税和设立农民及渔民专项基金来缓解他们的困境。