Meloni condemns ‘gangs of thugs’ after protests turned violent across Italy

Italy, like France, witnessed a day of protests on Saturday — several turning violent — as some Italian politicians blamed the extreme left for the lawlessness. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to social media to condemn the unrest and back law enforcement.

Meloni wrote on X: “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,” she posted.

She added, “Because they were there to safeguard the safety of citizens, workers, merchants and all the people who have the right to live [in] their city without fear and without seeing it laid to waste and set ablaze by gangs of thugs,” she continued. “We stand with you.”

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Her Sunday morning post came after scenes of violence between protesters and police, the most visible being outside Milan’s historic Cathedral, known as the Piazza del Duomo.

The Associated Press reported 50 demonstrators, including minors, were detained and at least two police officers were hurt in a protest that required water cannons to disperse the crowd, quoting the LaPresse news agency. Rioters looted stores and smashed windows inside Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of Italy’s most famous 19th‑century arcades.

Meloni had already laid blame for the protests on Saturday night, posting: “Thugs who exploit demonstrations to sow chaos, attack those who ensure security and hold entire cities hostage… Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not.”

She added a message to her political opponents: “I renew my request to the opposition: do not be ambiguous about this. Unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and issue a clear appeal for every mobilization to be peaceful.”

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Il Sole 24 news site quoted Francesco Filini, MP for Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia and national program coordinator, as saying: “It is no longer tolerable that every time left-wing extremists take to the streets, scenes of organized destruction unfold. We are not dealing with mere demonstrators, but with organized groups that plan violence.”

Saturday’s demonstrations were organized by the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, or CGIL, Italy’s oldest labor union with over 5 million members, often connected to Italian political parties on the left.

Meloni posted she had “great respect for the thousands” who protested peacefully and calling participation “the foundation of any healthy democracy… we cannot ignore what happened in other Italian squares.”

She noted that in Milan “stones were thrown at the Law Enforcement Forces, officers were injured, 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.”

“In the face of scenes like these, the rejection must be unanimous,” Meloni posted. “Any hesitation becomes justification. Silence is not acceptable.”

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Milan’s center-left mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told the Associated Press, “The reasons for the protests were understandable. The violence against law enforcement and serious damage to the city are not justifiable.”

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Reuters reported some 56 police officers were injured in the protest in Bologna, citing the police union, and the interior ministry says about 100 officers were hurt and around 30 arrests were made in the demonstration in Turin.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.