Salvini says 500 more troops will be sent to Milan after weekend unrest

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday that 500 more troops would be sent to Milan. "From words to action: 500 more troops to defend Milan," Salvini, who leads the League party, wrote on social media, as quoted by The Guardian.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani also responded on X. "The government will respond firmly to these attacks on the state, including through measures aimed at curbing violence by minors," he wrote, according to The Guardian.

What was reported

Several hundred hooded protesters set bins on fire and looted shops in central Milan over the weekend, according to The Guardian and The Japan Times. Many were believed to be minors. The Japan Times summary closely matches The Guardian's wording, which suggests a shared origin.

According to The Guardian, the unrest followed an initially peaceful demonstration on Saturday over poor public services and rising costs.

Italian police said 271 young people were detained during the unrest in Milan on Sunday, The Guardian reported. Of those taken to police stations, 32 were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals. The reports do not explain how these two groups overlap. A further 28 people were reported to judicial authorities.

A police report released on Sunday said clashes also took place on Saturday in other northern cities, including Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, and that 28 protesters were arrested, according to The Guardian.

In central Milan, shops closed early and boarded up windows. Most stores in the Via Montenapoleone luxury district removed goods from their windows as a precaution. Police patrolled the street. According to television footage cited by The Guardian, Decathlon, Arc'teryx and Vodafone stores were among those ransacked.

The troop deployment is expected to be part of a package of security measures, The Guardian reported. A cabinet meeting expected on Tuesday would be asked to approve it. The reports do not say whether it was approved. They also do not specify the troops' role, duration or legal basis.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and chaired a meeting with ministers and security chiefs on Monday, according to The Guardian. Citing Corriere della Sera, The Guardian reported that she was considering three measures: extending preventive detention for minors, cracking down on youth gangs, and bringing forward provisions of a security bill already before parliament.

In France, hundreds of thousands of people protested on Saturday over rising living costs and declining public services. The Guardian described them as some of the country's most violent protests in years. The reports do not establish any link between the two.

What each side says

• Matteo Salvini: 500 more troops will be sent to "defend Milan".
• Antonio Tajani: called the events "attacks on the state" and said the government will respond firmly.
• Giorgia Meloni: condemned the violence. Her exact words are not given in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi.
• Protest organisers and participants: the reports include no statement from them and do not describe who organised Saturday's demonstration.

Analysis

The government's response combines a visible troop presence with proposed legal changes focused on minors and youth gangs. The cabinet's decision will shape how far these measures go and how quickly. Key questions remain open: what the troops will do, for how long, and under what legal basis. Supporters of a firm response may see the deployment as restoring order. Others may focus on the grievances over public services and living costs that started the initial peaceful protest. Without statements from organisers or participants, and without injury or damage figures, the full picture of the unrest is still incomplete.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.