Italy’s cost-of-living protests turned violent for a second straight day on Sunday, October 18, 2026, as riot police clashed with stone-throwing demonstrators near Milan’s Piazza del Duomo. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the “hooligans” and called a government security meeting for Monday, according to Reuters and The Times.
- What: Violent clashes between police and cost-of-living protesters in Milan, Bologna, Turin, Brescia and Bergamo — the second straight day of unrest.
- Scale: 104 police officers injured in Milan, 72 suspects detained, 16 arrested; damage estimated at €500,000, according to reports.
- Reaction: PM Giorgia Meloni called a government security meeting for Monday and condemned “hooligans” exploiting peaceful marches.
- Why it matters: The unrest mirrors massive cost-of-living protests in France, Belgium and Portugal — a wave of anger sweeping Europe.
What Happened in Milan Today
Violence erupted again on Sunday afternoon in central Milan, a day after similar clashes across northern Italy. Reuters reported that several hundred hooded protesters threw stones, broke shop windows and set rubbish bins on fire in the area near Piazza del Duomo, the square in front of the city’s Gothic cathedral.
Riot police responded with tear gas and water cannons before charging into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the historic shopping arcade where some rioters had gathered. The Times reported that protesters smashed a window at a Foot Locker outlet to steal display items, while the luxury department store La Rinascente was also damaged.
According to The Times, police said 104 officers had been injured in Milan and another 13 people received medical treatment. A total of 72 suspects were detained at the city’s central police station — many of them minors — and there were 16 arrests. Marco Barbieri, general secretary of the Confcommercio business association, estimated at least €500,000 worth of damage in Milan alone.
The unrest follows Saturday’s demonstrations, when an “Italia in Piazza” march of more than 5,000 people — many of them students — devolved into clashes with police along Via Broletto, Italian broadcaster Rai News reported. Police said 28 protesters were arrested after Saturday’s clashes in Milan, Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, according to a police report cited by Reuters.
Why Did Italy’s Cost-of-Living Protests Turn Violent?
The marches began as a national student-led mobilisation against soaring inflation, low wages, underfunded public healthcare and deteriorating conditions in public schools, alongside broader opposition to government policies, Rai News reported. In Milan, what started as an initially peaceful demonstration stalled near Via San Tomaso before groups of masked protesters broke away and attacked police lines with stones, bins and chairs, according to i24NEWS.
Prime Minister Meloni said the violence was the work of “criminals who, sometimes as part of organised groups, exploit demonstrations to provoke conflict and sow chaos.” Writing on social media on Sunday, she extended her “full solidarity and sincere thanks” to law enforcement officers, saying citizens have “the right to live in their city without fear and without seeing it ravaged by gangs of hooligans.”
The government has faced mounting pressure over household expenses and the quality of public services. Meloni, who faces an election next year, called a government meeting on Monday to discuss how to address the situation, Reuters reported.
Are the Cost-of-Living Protests Spreading Across Europe?
Italy’s turmoil is part of a wider wave. A day earlier, France saw some of its worst unrest in years: about 550,000 people marched across the country on Saturday, according to the French Interior Ministry, with one protester dead in Paris, more than 1,800 arrests and hundreds of officers injured, Reuters reported. President Emmanuel Macron vowed those responsible for looting and attacks on public buildings “will be prosecuted and punished.”
Clashes also broke out in Brussels and Liège in Belgium, where Interior Minister Bernard Quintin warned that “all necessary means will be used to restore order,” and housing protests spread to Lisbon in Portugal, The Guardian reported. Alberto Alemanno, professor of EU law and policy at HEC Paris, told Al Jazeera the protests could spread to other European countries, including Greece, Germany and Austria — reflecting shared grievances over rising living costs, underfunded education and job insecurity rather than a single coordinated movement.
What Happens Next in Italy?
Meloni’s security meeting on Monday is expected to address how the government responds to the unrest. Saturday’s message from the prime minister set the tone: “Demonstrating is a right. Turning our cities into battlegrounds is not,” she wrote on X, urging opposition parties to condemn the violence.
Police in Milan and Bologna remain on alert after two consecutive days of clashes, and further demonstrations are possible as the student-led movement and broader cost-of-living anger show no sign of fading.
Read more: Paris Riots Today: 1,200 Arrested in Violent Night and Macron Vows France Rioters Will Pay in National Address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are people protesting in Italy today?
Protesters are marching against soaring inflation, low wages, underfunded public healthcare and deteriorating conditions in public schools, according to Italian broadcaster Rai News. The student-led “Italia in Piazza” movement organised Saturday’s marches, which drew more than 5,000 people in Milan alone before splinter groups turned violent.
What did Giorgia Meloni say about the Milan riots?
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence on Sunday, calling the rioters “hooligans” and “criminals who exploit demonstrations to provoke conflict and sow chaos.” She announced a government security meeting for Monday and said citizens have the right to live in their cities “without fear.”
How many people were arrested in the Italy protests?
In Milan on Sunday, police detained 72 suspects at the central police station and made 16 arrests, according to The Times. Another 28 protesters were arrested after Saturday’s clashes in Milan, Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, per a police report cited by Reuters.
What is the latest on the protests spreading across Europe?
The unrest is part of a wider European wave: France saw 550,000 marchers on Saturday, clashes broke out in Brussels and Liège in Belgium, and housing protests spread to Lisbon, Portugal, according to Reuters and The Guardian. HEC Paris professor Alberto Alemanno told Al Jazeera the protests could reach Greece, Germany and Austria.
Sources: Reuters, The Times, Al Jazeera, i24NEWS, The Guardian.
