Clashes in Milan, damage in the center after the urban guerrilla. PHOTO

Milan woke up to the signs of urban guerrilla warfare which yesterday, Saturday 17 October, devastated the center of the Lombard capital, with Piazza Duomo and the surrounding streets besieged for hours by hundreds of very young people dressed in black who clashed with the police amidst the throwing of paper bombs, tear gas, barriers and bottles.

In the devastation between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and San Babila, a group of protesters, many with their faces covered, targeted several shops, including Foot Locker, destroying the windows with blows of clubs and stones. A small crowd tried to enter the shop to steal the goods.

Many shop windows were vandalized and destroyed using sledgehammers, waste bins, rental bikes or cobblestones. Today the tables of the bars in the center are once again ready to host new tourists, many of whom were unaware of the battle of a few hours ago.

Since Saturday evening, several citizens and businesses have been working to repair the damage. Broken tables, barriers to raise, rental bicycles to move. Many, on their own initiative, set about clearing the streets and cleaning them.

Some people were reminded of when, after the devastation of May 1, 2015, those who later came to be remembered as the "people of the sponges" went to work and restored order and beauty to the city.

Mayor Giuseppe Sala promised "compensation for the damaged shops" speaking of "very large" damages. Then he warned: "Especially in Piazza Duomo there were a number of very violent Protestants and a small group of policemen. I don't have it against the police commissioner, and of course, with whom I work every single day but I have the impression that the moment is being underestimated and that the forces available in Milan at the police station were not adequate".

The first estimate of the damage to shops and premises caused in the clashes is over half a million euros, explained the general secretary of Confcommercio Milano, Marco Barbieri. "In the central area the estimate is over five hundred thousand euros in damage and lost income because the shops had to close at 5pm" he said.

The violent guerrilla war in the Duomo began late yesterday afternoon. The demonstrators attacked the police with stones and barriers. A chemical toilet was set on fire. The police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse the boys.

Stone throwing, fires, paper bombs, charges, water cannons, tear gas and barricades have left a wounded city center. Of the 72 people brought to the police station yesterday, 17 were arrested and at least 22 reported. Of those arrested, 9 are minors, seven are foreigners. Some took part in the looting of the Foot Locker, where they had barricaded themselves when the police arrived. There are over 100 agents treated in Milan's hospitals.

"Vandalism broke out around the Duomo in the center of Milan last night, an aggressive and angry tension shook the square. But in the Duomo people continued to pray, to sing, as if to say: the Lord guards a house of peace, a principle of brotherhood", said the Archbishop of Milan Mario Delpini today during the pontifical celebration on the occasion of the dedication of the cathedral.