Nearly 5,000 people identified and 371 detained, including the suspected organiser of Movimento 17 Ottobre.Clashes broke out in several Italian cities on Saturday during a second weekend of protests, though the looting seen in Milan a week earlier was not repeated.Police identified almost 5,000 people nationwide, detained 371, among them 110 minors, and made nine arrests, according to state broadcaster RAI News. Thousands of mostly young people and students took to the streets to protest against the cost of living, the right-wing government of prime minister Giorgia Meloni and rearmament. City centres were heavily guarded. In Milan, around 500 soldiers supported police and armoured vehicles were stationed around Piazza del Duomo, where more than 10,000 people marched, according to RAI News. In Rome, more than 1,500 police officers were deployed, and many shops in the centre were closed or boarded up. Clashes in Turin, Bologna and Rome In the northern city of Turin, a march turned violent when demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers. Police responded with baton charges and tear gas, and there were injuries. Police there identified 421 people, 313 Italians and 108 foreigners. In Bologna, protesters threw stones, set bins alight and built makeshift barricades in the historic centre. Officers used batons, tear gas and water cannon, and at least one young man was treated by ambulance crews. In Rome, a group of demonstrators entered the Colosseum, and dozens of young people were taken to the central police headquarters. Armoured police vehicles near the Quirinale, the president’s official residence, were pelted with bottles before officers intervened. There were clashes near the central Piazza della Repubblica during which police used water cannons to disperse protesters. Scontri vicino a Piazza della Repubblica, a Roma, tra manifestanti contro il carovita che volevano proseguire in corteo e la polizia che li ha bloccati con una carica e l'idrante. https://t.co/Si7HOxbcX9 — Local Team (@localteamit) October 24, 2026 In Florence, a march veered towards luxury shopping streets, prompting objects to be thrown and police charges. Marches in Naples, Padua and Bari passed off largely peacefully. Police also stopped hundreds of people in the morning and seized balaclavas, gloves, masks and spray paint. Suspected organiser detained Shortly before 14.30, when the social media channels of the Movimento 17 Ottobre (17 October Movement) was due to publish coordinates for surprise gatherings, the postal police, working with counter-terrorism officers and Meta, traced the account to Youssef Siher, according to RAI News. Siher, 30, is a second-generation Italian with Moroccan heritage, from the Brescia area of northern Italy. He has a degree and master’s in political science and has worked as a freelance journalist. He was found at an activist’s residence in Milan’s Corvetto district and taken to the police headquarters, then transferred to prison on the orders of Milan prosecutors, news agency ANSA reported. He is reportedly under investigation for incitement to commit a crime, with aggravating circumstances related to terrorism. Government response Meloni said on social media that the right to demonstrate must be guaranteed, as must citizens’ right to live safely in their cities. She also defended the government’s recent measures against street violence and the deployment of soldiers under the Strade Sicure (Safe Streets) operation. Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi praised the police and reaffirmed a firm line against violent protesters. "The freedom to demonstrate is a precious right, but those who abuse it must take responsibility," he said. Photo credit: pcruciatti / Shutterstock.com

Clashes broke out in several Italian cities on Saturday during a second weekend of protests, though the seen in Milan a week earlier was not repeated. Police identified almost 5,000 people nationwide, detained 371, among them 110 minors, and made nine arrests, according to state broadcaster RAI News. Thousands of mostly young people and students took to the streets to protest against the cost of living, the right-wing government of prime minister Giorgia Meloni and rearmament. City centres were heavily guarded. In Milan, around supported police and armoured vehicles were stationed around Piazza del Duomo, where more than 10,000 people marched, according to RAI News. In Rome, more than 1,500 police officers were deployed, and many shops in the centre were closed or boarded up. In the northern city of Turin, a march turned violent when demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers. Police responded with baton charges and tear gas, and there were injuries. Police there identified 421 people, 313 Italians and 108 foreigners. In Bologna, protesters threw stones, set bins alight and built makeshift barricades in the historic centre. Officers used batons, tear gas and water cannon, and at least one young man was treated by ambulance crews. In Rome, a group of demonstrators entered the Colosseum, and dozens of young people were taken to the central police headquarters. Armoured police vehicles near the Quirinale, the president’s official residence, were pelted with bottles before officers intervened. There were clashes near the central Piazza della Repubblica during which police used water cannons to disperse protesters. Scontri vicino a Piazza della Repubblica, a Roma, tra manifestanti contro il carovita che volevano proseguire in corteo e la polizia che li ha bloccati con una carica e l'idrante. https://t.co/Si7HOxbcX9 — Local Team (@localteamit) In Florence, a march veered towards luxury shopping streets, prompting objects to be thrown and police charges. Marches in Naples, Padua and Bari passed off largely peacefully. Police also stopped hundreds of people in the morning and seized balaclavas, gloves, masks and spray paint. Shortly before 14.30, when the social media channels of the Movimento 17 Ottobre (17 October Movement) was due for surprise gatherings, the postal police, working with counter-terrorism officers and Meta, traced the account to Youssef Siher, according to RAI News. Siher, 30, is a second-generation Italian with Moroccan heritage, from the Brescia area of northern Italy. He has a degree and master’s in political science and has worked as a freelance journalist. He was found at an activist’s residence in Milan’s Corvetto district and taken to the police headquarters, then transferred to prison on the orders of Milan prosecutors, news agency ANSA reported. He is reportedly under investigation for incitement to commit a crime, with aggravating circumstances related to terrorism. Meloni said on social media that the right to demonstrate must be guaranteed, as must citizens’ right to live safely in their cities. She also defended the government’s recent measures against street violence and the deployment of soldiers under the Strade Sicure (Safe Streets) operation. Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi praised the police and reaffirmed a firm line against violent protesters. "The freedom to demonstrate is a precious right, but those who abuse it must take responsibility," he said. Photo credit: pcruciatti / Shutterstock.com