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Violent clashes erupt in Milan and Bologna over soaring inflation
Widespread demonstrations against rising living costs turned violent in Milan and Bologna on Saturday, resulting in dozens of detentions, injured officers, and emergency transit closures. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the unrest on X, stating, “Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not.” More than 5,000 protesters joined a national student-led mobilisation in Milan organized by the "Italy in the Square" committee against soaring inflation, low wages, underfunded public healthcare, deteriorating public schools, and government policies. According to Italian broadcaster Rai News, Piazza Duomo descended into scenes of "urban warfare" when violent agitators smashed storefront windows, burned a nearby construction site, and launched pyrotechnics at State Police officers along Via Broletto. When groups tried to breach security cordons, riot police conducted multiple charges, leading to approximately 12 hospitalisations and around 50 detentions for processing at police headquarters.
In Bologna, a breakaway faction of hooded youths targeted the central railway station in Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, hurling stones, glass bottles, smoke bombs, and metal barriers at security lines while toppling dozens of public rental bicycles. Police and Carabinieri in full riot gear deployed water cannons and tear gas to block station access and disperse crowds, detaining at least seven individuals.
Giorgia Meloni demands unanimous condemnation
Prime Minister Meloni first acknowledged peaceful marchers, saying, “I have great respect for the thousands of people who today demonstrated peacefully, including those who took part in the mobilisation called by the CGIL, which also saw the participation of left-wing leaders. Whatever the ideas for which one demonstrates, participation is the foundation of any healthy democracy.”
Pointing to the riots, she added, “On the other hand, however, we cannot ignore what happened in other Italian squares. In Milan, as these images show, stones were thrown at the Law Enforcement Forces, officers were injured, and damage and violence occurred that forced the interruption of the procession. In Turin, people were stopped carrying cobblestones and window-breaking hammers. In Bologna, the disorders led to the precautionary closure of the railway station.” Calling the perpetrators “thugs who exploit demonstrations to sow chaos, attack those who ensure security, and hold entire cities hostage,” she urged rival parties not to remain ambiguous and to “unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and issue a clear appeal for every mobilisation to be peaceful.” She concluded, “In the face of scenes like these, the rejection must be unanimous. Any hesitation becomes justification. Silence is not acceptable.”
Broader European protests over living costs
Persistent consumer price pressures across major European economies have repeatedly strained household budgets and triggered coordinated strikes. Parallel cost-of-living rallies against President Emmanuel Macron and his administration sparked clashes in Paris and other French cities, where France 24 cited Interior Minister Laurent Nunez in reporting around 550,000 protesters and 400 arrests.
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