Key takeaways
- Police in Milan have arrested or detained more than 200 people since October 17, 2026, according to the Italian news agency ANSA, and most of those held were reported to be minors.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a public order meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome for October 19, 2026, to consider further measures against those who exploit demonstrations to cause violence.
- The Italian unrest followed much larger protests in France and smaller ones in Belgium, Portugal and Albania, all linked to living costs and public services.
- Italy's political reaction is split: the government stresses law and order, while Milan's mayor and opposition figures say the economic grievances behind the protests must also be addressed.
The Milan riots, two consecutive days of looting and clashes with police around the Piazza del Duomo on October 17 and 18, 2026, have prompted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to convene a public order meeting in Rome on October 19. Police in the northern city have arrested more than 200 people since Saturday, according to the ANSA news agency, as reported by AFP. The unrest began beside a demonstration over living costs and follows far larger disturbances in France, which raises pressure on governments across the European Union.
What happened in the Milan riots?
A march against wars and rising living costs began peacefully on Saturday, but masked protesters threw stones and paving blocks at riot police and set fire to barricades. Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowds. Police estimated turnout at 5,000 in Milan, 3,000 in Turin, 2,000 in Bologna, 800 in Bergamo and 600 in Brescia.
On Sunday the violence resumed. Mostly black-clad youths hurled bottles, ransacked stores and destroyed property around the central Duomo plaza, AFP reported. ANSA reported that police used tear gas and water cannon and detained at least 160 people at that stage, around 80% of them minors. Targets included branches of Foot Locker and Decathlon, as well as Levi’s and Under Armour stores and Carrefour supermarkets.
The retail association Confcommercio estimated damage to shops and businesses at more than €500,000, according to Sky TG24. Casualty figures vary by source. Euronews reported 25 people injured in Milan, ten of them police officers, while TRT World, citing Sky TG24 and police figures, put the number of injured law enforcement officers at 141. The difference may reflect counts across several cities, but the sources do not say so.
Why are cost-of-living protests spreading across Europe?
The Italian demonstrations were not isolated. Al Jazeera described Saturday’s separate, uncoordinated demonstrations in Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal as drawing hundreds of thousands of people. Protesters in Albania also rallied against perceived government corruption, job shortages and poor education standards.
France saw the largest turnout. The CGT union told AFP that 800,000 people took part, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez put the figure at about 550,000. CBS News reported that police arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops. The French movement began last month at high schools in Paris’s poorer northern suburbs and grew into a broader protest over inequality, public spending and living standards.
In Italy, the grievances are similar. Dpa reported that low and middle earners are hit hard by inflation and high petrol and diesel prices, while real wages stagnate and affordable housing is scarce in large cities. Energy costs are a broader backdrop: Intelligence Report has covered how Brent crude settled near $110 on Middle East supply fears and the uncertainty over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. None of the sources reviewed directly attribute the Italian unrest to those developments.
How is Rome responding to the Milan riots?
Meloni’s reaction combined condemnation with a promise of new tools. She wrote on X that demonstrating is a right, but setting cities ablaze is not. She said she had called a public order meeting at Palazzo Chigi to assess the situation and discuss further measures against those who exploit legitimate demonstrations to sow violence and chaos, ANSA reported.
The row over responsibility has already become partisan. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said police numbers in the city had been inadequate on Saturday. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi replied by accusing “radical chic” left-wingers of always finding excuses for violent protesters. Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, said violence must be condemned but the government must also address the economic hardship behind the protests. Riccardo Magi of +Europa called for Piantedosi to report to parliament.
On the policy side, Italian daily Quotidiano Nazionale reported that Lega and Forza Italia are pressing to bring forward parts of the security package pending in the Senate. Piantedosi said investigations are open and that minors will not be given impunity, according to Il Fogliettone.
Reports differ on who organised the marches. TRT World said the Italia in Piazza movement organised the protests, whereas Meloni’s remarks referred to a mobilisation called by the CGIL trade union. The sources reviewed do not establish who coordinated the groups responsible for the violence.
What to watch
- Outcome of the Palazzo Chigi meeting on October 19: whether the government announces new public order measures or brings forward parts of the Senate security package.
- Treatment of minors: with most of those held reported as underage, court decisions will show how far the “no impunity” line is applied.
- Parliamentary scrutiny: whether Piantedosi appears before parliament, as opposition lawmakers have requested.
- November 20 general strike: reports say a major union has called a general strike for that date.
- France: whether the French movement continues or eases, since Italian commentators have framed events in Milan as following the French pattern.
Related coverage: the EU leaders’ trade tool decision shows the wider pressure on European governments this month.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Milan riots about?
The unrest began on October 17, 2026, during a march against wars and rising living costs. Masked groups later clashed with police and looted shops near Piazza del Duomo. Grievances cited include inflation, high fuel prices, stagnant wages, housing shortages and weak public services, according to dpa and Al Jazeera.
How many people have been arrested in Milan?
According to ANSA, as reported by AFP, police have arrested more than 200 people in Milan since Saturday, October 17, 2026. Other outlets describe the figure as people detained or identified, and ANSA and Israel National News said most were minors, about 80% in some reports.
What is Giorgia Meloni doing about the unrest?
Meloni called a public order meeting at Palazzo Chigi, her Rome office, for Monday, October 19, 2026. She said it would assess the situation and consider further measures against people who exploit legitimate demonstrations to cause violence. The outcome had not been announced in the sources reviewed.
Sources
- Cost-of-living protests: 50 detained in Milan, clashes in Turin and Bologna
- Second day of street clashes in Milan (AFP, France 24)
- Second day of violent unrest in Milan as police detain 160 (dpa via Yahoo)
- Violent cost-of-living protests erupt in Milan and Turin (dpa via Yahoo)
- Italian police arrest 28 after cost-of-living protests turn violent (TRT World)
- Cost of living protests hit Belgium, Italy, Portugal and France (Al Jazeera)
- Milan Riots: Designer Stores Looted in Cost-of-Living Protests (JFeed)
- Italy's Meloni calls security summit as Milan hit by second day of looting (Wanted in Milan)
- Meloni Condemns Violence as Cost Protests Hit Italy (Tempo.co)
- Il governo prepara la stretta (Quotidiano Nazionale)
Top image: Steffen Schmitz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
