Meloni sends 500 soldiers to Milan – and warns of a “pitchfork” uprising in Europe

After the serious riots in Milan, the government in Rome wants to send 500 more soldiers to the Italian financial metropolis. The decision was made on Monday at an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, it was announced afterwards. The government wants to pass a corresponding decree today. The additional military is intended to prevent further riots from breaking out in Milan's city center.

A military mission “Strade sicure” (“Safe Streets”) has been running in Italy since 2008, in which soldiers support regular police forces in monitoring urban centers and endangered properties. Curfews in certain areas of the city center are also being discussed. Meloni had announced tough action after the riots in Milan, but also in various other cities.

In Milan, serious riots broke out over the weekend after initially peaceful protests against high costs of living and various government legislative plans. On Cathedral Square and its surroundings, young people mostly dressed in black and wearing masks broke shop windows and looted shops and supermarkets. In total, there were around 270 temporary arrests, most of which were against minors. The authorities also announced on Monday that 32 people were formally arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign citizens. Charges were filed against another 28 people.

The inflation rate in Italy is currently 4.2 percent. There is also currently unrest in France.

According to a report in the daily newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, Meloni recently warned urgently about the political consequences of persistently high energy prices at the EU summit. “Are you actually aware of the situation we are in?” she is said to have asked during the nightly discussions on European emissions trading on Thursday. "If prices stay as they are, sooner or later they will come after us all with pitchforks - and I mean everyone. Not just the Italian citizens, but also your citizens." Meloni raised her voice and, unlike usual, spoke in Italian instead of English, the newspaper reported.

Meloni has ruled Rome for four years. There will be another parliamentary election next year. The head of government and her Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party have been under pressure for some time from a new, even further right-wing party called Futuro Nazionale (National Future). In the left-wing camp, the chairwoman of the social democratic party PD, Elly Schlein, wants to run against Meloni.