Meloni Government Orders Military Support Amid New Wave of Italian Street Protests

The Italian government has deployed 500 soldiers to Milan to secure the financial capital as fresh protests begin in eight cities across the country. These demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday and target Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing administration alongside the rising cost of living. The mobilization follows a turbulent week in which a protest in Milan escalated into physical clashes with police and significant looting.

The new round of demonstrations was announced online by a recently formed collective known as the October 17 Movement. Working in conjunction with student federations, grassroots trade unions, and antiwar coalitions, the group has emerged as a primary force behind the current unrest. On its Instagram account, the movement expressed deep skepticism of the current leadership. It stated that those who deny the future of the population are truly violent. The group further declared that it distrusts the government because it views the administration as authoritarian.

In response to the disorder seen last weekend, authorities introduced a series of new security measures. Police conducted raids and searches in several cities on Friday, targeting individuals suspected of participating in looting and rioting. According to the news agency Adnkronos, officers carried out an additional 150 raids on Saturday morning in the northern region of Lombardy. These actions aim to identify those responsible for the recent disturbances before the new protests commence.

Organizers have sought to manage the scale and location of the new events carefully. The specific meeting points for the demonstrations were kept secret until the final moments. Three locations were expected to be revealed on the group's social media accounts on Saturday afternoon. The movement emphasized through its Telegram channel that many participants intended to express their dissent in a peaceful manner. One participant, identified only by the initial E, advised on Thursday that the group must remain peaceful to avoid giving police an excuse to charge. Another member, identified as Q, noted that there was no real distinction between violent and peaceful protesters, describing the group as a single entity.

Police authorities have also moved to identify the digital leadership of the movement. Officers stated that they located and were questioning the administrator of the group's main Instagram page. The daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the individual is a 30-year-old Italian-Moroccan freelance journalist and researcher. He is currently under investigation on suspicion of inciting crimes. This move highlights the growing intersection of digital organization and traditional law enforcement tactics in managing the unrest.

Data from the arrests made last Sunday reveals a striking demographic trend. Of the 271 people detained, 220 were under the age of 18. Reports indicate that some of these minors joined the demonstrations after being unexpectedly added to a Telegram group. One of the young detainees explained that organizers told them they would raise chaos and that participants could take a large amount of goods. This finding suggests a significant role for social media in recruiting younger, less organized participants to the events.

Legal representatives have highlighted the lack of clear motivation among some of the younger detainees. Lawyer Michele D'Agostino, who is defending two demonstrators aged 21 and 15, noted that the younger client did not fully understand the reasons behind the protest. D'Agostino stated that the teenager had simply seen the event on TikTok and decided to attend with a friend. While the lawyer clarified that the teenager was not among the looters, he acknowledged that the young man did not grasp the seriousness of the unfolding situation.

Officials have placed much of the blame for the recruitment of minors on social media platforms. The public prosecutor described the recent events as insurrectional acts that were driven by misleading online communications. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addressed the issue directly, stating that the country needs to expand the capacity of its youth detention facilities. He made this remark in response to the mass arrests of minors during the previous weekend's clashes.

Separate economic protests have also emerged in the south. Truck drivers set up roadblocks in several southern regions earlier in the week to protest soaring fuel prices. These actions left many local markets without supplies for several days. To ease the pressure on the sector, the government granted tax breaks and created a special fund for farmers and fishermen on Thursday. This parallel economic action underscores the broad range of grievances currently facing the Meloni government.