Italy is on top alert with increased security in major cities, one week after riots and looting in the north of the country. The measures include police checkpoints, increased surveillance and deployment of more 500 military personnel in Milan.
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24/10/2026
by
Lusa
Italia is on high alert today, with the reinforcement of security in major cities, a week after the riots and looting in the north of the country.
The authorities reinforced policing, while the shops in Rome and Milan, especially those selling luxury goods, protected their windows with wooden plates and metal plates, predicting further attacks, describes the Spanish news agency EFE.
Some establishments, such as the La Rinascente shopping centre in Milan, will close at 3:00 p.m. before the demonstrations, scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. locations (14:30 in Portugal).
Security measures include police checkpoints, increased surveillance at railway stations and city centres, and the deployment of another 500 military personnel in Milan.
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, turned away the “militarization of the city” and asked traders to keep the shops open.
The United States Embassy in Italy has also issued a security alert because of the risk of new demonstrations in Milan and other major Italian cities.
The embassy also recommended that citizens follow the news, abandon areas near protests and avoid gatherings and crowds.
Police pressure has intensified since Friday with an operation coordinated by the Italian police, which has identified about a hundred people, 51 of whom were minors, because they were allegedly linked to disturbances and robberies that occurred the previous weekend.
During operations, the police seized knives, baseball bats, allegedly stolen items from stores and gas tanks.
The incidents took place in the margins of a peaceful demonstration against rising cost of living, when groups of masked young people began to vandalise the city centre and plunder various shops.
Today, security measures have been extended to about 20 cities, with special attention to Milan, Como and Monza, in the north of the country, due to the possibility of new demonstrations.
According to EFE, one of the main challenges for security forces is the unpredictability of demonstrations, since “Movement 17 October” announced on Friday the cancellation of previously released meeting points to hinder police action, through a strategy called “be water”.
The strategy is to publish three provisional meeting points on social networks just 30 minutes before the marches start and then go to another place that had not been disclosed.
According to EFE, the authorities maintain maximum surveillance on the social networks and on the group’s message channels, since none of the calls for “Movement 17 ottobre”, which emerged after the demonstrations on the weekend, have an official authorization.
On October 17, Italy lived a day of protests in various cities against the cost of living and low wages, among other claims, which resulted in clashes in Milan and the announcement of a general strike for November 20.
After the riots, the government approved this week a decree-law, with immediate effects, which hardens the sanctions for violent acts, with special focus on juvenile delinquency.
The law introduces a new crime related to group participation in violent acts, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to 20,000 euros, with aggravating in case those involved wear masks or cause injuries.