Milan Protests Turn Violent Amid Europe-Wide Cost-of-Living Unrest

On Saturday, a march in Milan that began as a peaceful protest against wars and rising living costs devolved into street fighting in the city’s historic centre. Masked demonstrators threw stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police, set makeshift barricades of bar tables on fire, and damaged a carabinieri vehicle. Police responded with water cannons and tear-gas. According to the LaPresse news agency, at least two police officers were injured and about 50 demonstrators—including many minors—were detained. The unrest forced the closure of the Duomo metro station, prompted shops to lower shutters, and caused tourists to leave the area.

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The Milan incident occurred alongside a wave of demonstrations across Europe. In France, protesters rallied in Paris, Lyon and Marseille over the same economic grievances; French police also deployed tear-gas and water cannons. Similar rallies were reported in Belgium and Portugal, while Italian cities such as Bologna, Rome and Turin saw police use water cannons and make arrests. Italian news agency ANSA recorded seven arrests in Bologna. The protests share a common focus on affordability, wages, housing and public services, though they are not coordinated under a single movement.

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Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence in a social-media post, emphasizing the right to demonstrate while rejecting the destruction of cities. Giuseppe Sala, Milan’s centre-left mayor, acknowledged that the protesters’ grievances over wars and living costs were understandable but called the attacks on law-enforcement and property “unjustifiable.” Both leaders expressed solidarity with police forces tasked with protecting citizens and commerce in the city centre.

Newsweek

• “Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” — Giorgia Meloni, italian prime minister

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• “Once again, the women and men of the Law Enforcement Forces have had to face the violence of criminals who, even through organized groups, exploit demonstrations to seek confrontation and sow chaos,” — Giorgia Meloni, italian prime minister

Newsweek

The clashes disrupted daily life in Milan’s most visited district. Luxury retailers in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shut their shutters, and the central Duomo metro station remained closed, curtailing commuter flow. The incidents have heightened security concerns for upcoming public events and underscored the broader challenge European governments face in addressing cost-of-living pressures while maintaining public order.

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