Thousands protest in Italy with 9 arrested and 371 detained

Demonstrators light flares during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI /AFP via Getty Images

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Security forces deployed massively in Italy on Saturday for protests in which thousands rallied despite a sweeping crackdown in the wake of violent clashes last weekend.

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Police said they arrested nine people and briefly detained 371 more — including 110 minors — who were taken to police stations in eight cities as clashes broke out at some protests.

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Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government approved tough security measures this week and police had carried out dozens of searches and arrests in advance of the rallies.

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“Marching is a right. We need to make our voices heard,” Alessio Scimone, a 24-year-old betting shop worker, one of the protesters in Milan, told AFP.

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Several thousand people marched through Milan, bringing traffic in the centre to a standstill.

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A similar number rallied in Rome, where some protesters briefly broke into the Colosseum.

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Police “managed to isolate and contain the violent fringes, with balance and professionalism,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi was quoted by Italian news agency ANSA as saying.

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“In Italy there can be no room for those who delude themselves that they can act with impunity,” he said.

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‘We are not scared’

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In Milan, some stores closed early and others boarded their windows following outbreaks of looting in the fashion hub last weekend.

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Others remained defiantly open after a call by the city’s mayor Giuseppe Sala not to “panic.”

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“We want to give the message that we are not scared by these kids,” said Alessandro Buhne, 30, who works at the Philipp Plein menswear shop.

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“Tourists are scared of this situation, so we want to give the signal that you are safe if you enter our store,” he said.

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Anti-riot police clashes with demonstrators during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI /AFP via Getty Images

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Stefania Segalina, 55, a volunteer street fundraiser for the charity MSF, said she was relieved clashes had not broken out.

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“We were a bit worried, but we didn’t stop and came out to fundraise as planned,” she said.

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“We noted a big police presence,” she said. “It means you don’t feel alone, in case something happens.”

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After the clashes in Milan last weekend, the government deployed 500 soldiers to the city and approved a decree easing detention rules for minors and imposing fines on their parents for any damage done by them during demonstrations.

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Police on Saturday also said they had arrested a 30-year-old man suspected of being the figure behind the “October 17 Movement”, a group which had called for the protests.

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Student groups have been highly critical of the government’s public order response and have urged it to address protest demands such as cuts to military spending in favour of education.

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The demonstrations are part of a wave of protests by students, truck drivers and farmers over cost of living issues like housing and fuel prices.

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The government this week approved financial measures to help businesses dealing with the spike in fuel prices seen after the Middle East war.

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The truck blockades that had paralyzed southern Italy, leading to acute fuel and food shortages for a week, have now been lifted.

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