Security decree has sparked protests in Italy.A controversial bill known as the Security Decree ushered in by Italy's right-wing coalition government was passed definitively by the Italian senate on Wednesday.Approved by the lower house last week, the decree was passed in the senate with 109 votes in favour, 69 against and one abstention. The vote was taken after a protest by senators from opposition centre-left parties who sat on the floor of the chamber shouting "Shame, shame". The decree, which clamps down on protesters and enhances legal protections for security forces, was introduced by premier Giorgia Meloni as part of "a promise for a safer Italy". In a social media post on Wednesday, Meloni hailed the newly passed decree as a "decisive step to strengthen the protection of citizens, the most vulnerable groups and our men and women in uniform". Con l’approvazione definitiva del Decreto Sicurezza al Senato, il Governo compie un passo decisivo per rafforzare la tutela dei cittadini, delle fasce più vulnerabili e dei nostri uomini e donne in divisa.Interveniamo con determinazione contro le occupazioni abusive,… pic.twitter.com/hDHM1XSW8e— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 4, 2025 The decree includes measures such as increasing penalties for attacks on law enforcement officers and fraud against the elderly, as well as legally protecting the rights of security forces and granting them broader powers. The wide-ranging legislative package imposes harsher penalties for protest-related offences and disruptive passive resistance sit-ins such as the blocking of roads or defacing public property, as well as clamping down on squatters and facilitating the swift eviction of illegally occupied properties.  The sweeping legislation also introduces new crimes for prisoners who riot, along with banning the trade of "cannabis light" and scrapping an exemption from prison for subway pickpockets who are pregnant. Italy's Meloni slams fresh accusations of police racism In a post on X, Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi hailed the decree as a "strategic measure" which introduces "new and effective tools to strengthen the fight against crime and terrorism, guarantee greater protection for citizens, especially the most vulnerable, and enhance the daily work of our law enforcement agencies". Deputy premier Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing Lega, also welcomed the passing of the security decree, writing on X: "More protection and powers for the police, immediate evictions of occupied homes, harsher penalties for pickpockets and elderly scammers. More promises kept!" The bill has sparked protests across Italy in recent months, amid strong criticism from civil rights groups and opposition parties who accuse the government of criminalising dissent, limiting civil liberties and curtailing the right to protest. The European Civic Forum in a statement last week said more than 70 NGOs have sounded the alarm over the security Decree, warning it poses "a serious threat to democracy amid a systemic deterioration of the rule of law". Photo credit: Eugenio Marongiu / Shutterstock.com.

A controversial bill known as the Security Decree ushered in by Italy's right-wing coalition government was passed definitively by the Italian senate on Wednesday. Approved by the lower house last week, the decree was passed in the senate with 109 votes in favour, 69 against and one abstention. The vote was taken after a protest by senators from opposition centre-left parties who sat on the floor of the chamber shouting "Shame, shame". The decree, which clamps down on protesters and enhances legal protections for security forces, was introduced by premier Giorgia Meloni as part of "a promise for a safer Italy". In a social media post on Wednesday, Meloni hailed the newly passed decree as a "decisive step to strengthen the protection of citizens, the most vulnerable groups and our men and women in uniform". Con l’approvazione definitiva del Decreto Sicurezza al Senato, il Governo compie un passo decisivo per rafforzare la tutela dei cittadini, delle fasce più vulnerabili e dei nostri uomini e donne in divisa.

Interveniamo con determinazione contro le occupazioni abusive,… — Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) The decree includes measures such as increasing penalties for attacks on law enforcement officers and fraud against the elderly, as well as legally protecting the rights of security forces and granting them broader powers. The wide-ranging legislative package imposes harsher penalties for protest-related offences and disruptive passive resistance sit-ins such as the blocking of roads or defacing public property, as well as clamping down on squatters and facilitating the swift eviction of illegally occupied properties.  The sweeping legislation also introduces new crimes for prisoners who riot, along with banning the trade of "cannabis light" and scrapping an exemption from prison for subway pickpockets who are pregnant.

• Italy's Meloni slams fresh accusations of police racism

In a post on X, Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi hailed the decree as a "strategic measure" which introduces "new and effective tools to strengthen the fight against crime and terrorism, guarantee greater protection for citizens, especially the most vulnerable, and enhance the daily work of our law enforcement agencies". Deputy premier Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing Lega, also welcomed the passing of the security decree, writing on X: "More protection and powers for the police, immediate evictions of occupied homes, harsher penalties for pickpockets and elderly scammers. More promises kept!" The bill has sparked protests across Italy in recent months, amid strong criticism from civil rights groups and opposition parties who accuse the government of criminalising dissent, limiting civil liberties and curtailing the right to protest. The European Civic Forum last week said more than 70 NGOs have sounded the alarm over the security Decree, warning it poses "a serious threat to democracy amid a systemic deterioration of the rule of law". Photo credit: Eugenio Marongiu / Shutterstock.com.