Milan cost-of-living protests turned violent for a second consecutive day on Sunday, with police arresting more than 200 people since Saturday as clashes, looting and property damage spread across parts of the Italian city.
Groups of mostly black-clad youths clashed with police around the central Duomo square, throwing bottles and other objects at officers, ransacking shops and damaging public property. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds, while footage from the scene showed masked individuals throwing objects at police vehicles.
According to Italy’s Ansa news agency, more than 200 people had been arrested in Milan since the unrest began on Saturday. The clashes started on the sidelines of an authorised demonstration against the cost of living, raising concerns about violence accompanying public protests.
Damage was reported across the city centre. A supermarket on a shopping street leading away from Duomo square was ransacked, rubbish bins were overturned, and scooters and bicycles were vandalised. Shop windows were smashed, while businesses and residents were left dealing with the aftermath of the violence.
Milan was not the only Italian city affected. Similar disturbances were reported in Bologna and Turin following separate protests, suggesting that the unrest extended beyond the country’s financial capital.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the violence had left residents frightened and businesses damaged. Speaking to Ansa, he described seeing “smashed shop windows, looted stores, and frightened citizens”.
Sala also expressed concern about what he viewed as a wider pattern of unrest affecting cities internationally.
“What happened here is what we are seeing in many cities around the world,” he said.
“I’m very worried because it’s a new phenomenon, which also originates from an international scenario and therefore feeds itself.”
The violence prompted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to call a security meeting for Monday to address the situation. Her response followed a series of confrontations that drew comparisons with scenes of disorder and looting reported in Paris.
On Saturday, Meloni condemned those responsible for the destruction, accusing them of exploiting demonstrations to provoke violence and attack police officers and other security personnel.
“To demonstrate is a right. To lay our cities to waste is not,” she wrote on X.
Ancora una volta, le donne e gli uomini delle Forze dell’Ordine hanno dovuto affrontare la violenza di delinquenti che, anche attraverso gruppi organizzati, sfruttano le manifestazioni per cercare lo scontro e seminare il caos.
A tutti loro va la mia piena solidarietà e un ringraziamento sincero. Perché erano lì per tutelare la sicurezza dei cittadini, dei lavoratori, dei commercianti e di tutte le persone che hanno diritto di vivere la propria città senza paura e senza vederla messa a ferro e fuoco da bande di teppisti.
Siamo con voi.
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) October 18, 2026
Her comments drew a distinction between the right to peaceful protest and the violence that accompanied the demonstrations. The unrest in Milan began during a protest over living costs, but the subsequent clashes, looting and arrests shifted attention towards public safety and the protection of businesses and residents.
With security officials preparing to address the violence, the incidents in Milan, Bologna and Turin have brought renewed attention to the challenge of managing demonstrations while protecting the public and preserving the right to protest.
