Cities are under lockdown throughout Italy due to the protests and marches that cross the country, in particular against the high cost of living. Tensions in Turin, where the police repelled the protesters with shields and truncheons. Two hundred people identified in Rome preventively even before the demonstrations. The alert is very high in Milan, after the chaos of Saturday 17 October.
In Turin the police prevented the thousands of demonstrators who gathered in Piazza Castello from proceeding towards Via Po with a brief lightening charge, using shields and truncheons. The police had invited participants to proceed towards the northern area of the city, through the Royal Gardens.
The police then repelled with their truncheons a group of young people who attempted to reach the Piazza del Duomo through a narrow passage next to the Royal Palace. Some boys suffered head injuries and were treated by other protesters.
There are many demands underlying the protest movements of recent days, even beyond the high cost of living. The opening banner of the Turin march, for example, reads "We don't pay for the war, Turin is against rearmament, no data centers and expensive petrol". Among the slogans also "Tout le monde detest the police".
A large photograph of Giorgia Meloni was burned in Turin at the beginning of the event, during the participants' meeting in Piazza Castello. Various insults against the prime minister were shouted by the crowd.
In Bologna there were police attacks in Piazza dei Martiri, with the police pushing the demonstrators back towards Via Marconi and chasing them. Shortly before, the protesters had thrown bottles towards the police. In the meantime, a water cannon also arrived to remove the demonstrators. From the procession also firecrackers against policemen and carabinieri.
Some demonstrators were blocked by the police in Bologna, in via Marconi, while there were other charges by officers in riot gear. The riots began in Piazza dei Martiri, after the procession of around a thousand people had started from Piazza del Nettuno.
After last week's riots, Milan has strengthened its security presence: in addition to the police, 500 paratroopers have arrived in the city to help keep the situation under control (in addition to the 800 already allocated for "Safe Streets"). Strongly manned Piazza Duomo, Cadorna station, Piazza Castello, Via Dante, Garibaldi station and the Corso Buenos Aires area.
Some young people were taken to the offices of the Milan police force to be identified after being found in possession of objects that could potentially be used to create disorder, either because their faces were covered or because they had a criminal record.
A spontaneous demonstration of around 200 people, mainly students and anti-fascist groups, formed in Milan in front of the Strehler Theatre, among Palestinian flags and signs against the government, chanting chants such as "Giorgia Meloni resign", "We are all anti-fascists" and "Freedom is our right". The police in riot gear blocked entry and exit via Lanza. After more than half an hour of stalemate and negotiation with the police officers, they left in procession towards the Arena.
In Rome, the procession organized specifically against the war arrived at its final destination without tension, starting from Piazza della Repubblica and moving to Largo Corrado Ricci. “This peaceful square is an example for all of Italy", chanted the demonstrators upon their arrival. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of young people gathered near Via Cavour and Via dei Fori Imperiali, moving to reach the Colosseum, where the police in riot gear were deployed.
After being blocked by the police near the Colosseum, the young people reached Largo Corrado Ricci, where the participants in the pre-announced anti-war procession were reading some speeches. An argument broke out between the two groups with the young people claiming the right to occupy the area, continuing to shout "Procession, procession".
Moments of tension at the procession in Rome between protesters and law enforcement in the archaeological area of the Colosseum. It is here that the young people took a detour to reach the Arch of Constantine, an area traditionally full of tourists. The police in riot gear also intervened there. Moments of tension followed, but no confrontation.
In Naples, a few moments of tension, but without consequences, broke out during the demonstration against the high cost of living in Via de Pretis, as demonstrators passed in front of the building of the MSC cruise company, whose entrance was guarded by a barrier of police in riot gear. The participants in the procession themselves repeatedly invited those wearing hoods to uncover their heads. Two exploded during the demonstration. "Giorgia Meloni go away" is the most recurring chant, together with the request for the prime minister's resignation.
