Italy Protests Bring Fresh Violence to Milan After Student Marches

The unrest followed two days of demonstrations with overlapping grievances but different stated purposes. On October 16, students marched against government education policies. On October 17, protests over living costs and low wages brought violence to central Milan.

The student demonstrations demanded more school funding and opposed education reforms, according to Il Post. Fanpage reported demonstrations in 40 squares under the banner of No Meloni Day, including marches in Rome, Milan, Turin and Genoa.

Opposition to war and military spending also featured in the marches, TGcom24 reported. The coverage does not establish that the later violence was organised by the student groups behind those demonstrations.

On October 16, student marches were accompanied by clashes with police, tensions, explosive devices and water cannon, according to TGcom24. ANSA reported that Meloni condemned the violence.

On October 17, clashes broke out between police and some participants in Milan's Italia in piazza protest against living costs and low wages. Il Post described the demonstration as organised online.

The violence centred on Piazza Duomo and nearby streets. Fanpage reported thrown tables and explosive devices, as well as police charges in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. La Repubblica reported looted shops and 40 people taken to hospital. Clashes also occurred in Turin and Bologna, according to ANSA.

The custody figures differ across reports. La Repubblica described 60 people taken to police headquarters after Saturday's unrest, while Euronews reported 50 detained in Milan. The supplied coverage does not explain the difference.

On October 18, hundreds of young people returned to the Duomo area. Fanpage reported smashed windows at Champion on Via Torino and an attempted entry into Foot Locker. TGcom24 reported fresh tensions, firecrackers and 50 young people taken to police headquarters.

Police remained present around Piazza Duomo, Via Torino and Cordusio on October 18, with checks on young people without identity documents, according to TGcom24. The latest reports describe renewed disorder in Milan rather than a settled aftermath.

The age of those involved has become a focus of reporting. Il Post described minors involved in vandalism and disorder in Milan, Bologna and Turin as disorganised and without clear political affiliations. Adnkronos reported that those arrested over Saturday's disorder included 11 minors.

The immediate open questions concern the outcome of police checks and the legal status of those taken to headquarters. TGcom24 and ANSA reported 50 people taken there during Sunday's renewed tensions, but the supplied coverage does not establish how many were subsequently arrested or released.