Troops deployed to Milan over mass riots

The Italian government will send 500 servicemen to Milan following the riots of October 17–18. Demonstrators protesting the rising cost of living in the country fought with police, looted stores and smashed shops, including designer clothing boutiques, The Guardian writes.

The deployment of forces is expected to be part of a package of security measures that the cabinet of ministers will approve on Tuesday. For now, many businessmen in Milan are keeping their stores closed, fearing a new escalation. It is known that the sporting goods retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx, as well as the mobile operator Vodafone, have already suffered from the riots. Even more brands, such as Levi's, Under Armour and Decathlon, have covered their storefronts with cardboard and wooden panels. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini assured that the authorities have moved "from words to deeds."

The pogroms in Italian cities were condemned by other high-ranking politicians in the country, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Among the possible measures to combat the unrest, the government is considering a number of tough steps, including extending the period of preventive arrests, including for minors.

Earlier, Italian police reported the detention of 271 people during the riots in Milan on Sunday. Dozens of protesters were also detained in Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin. Initially peaceful demonstrations against the rising cost of living escalated into the burning of garbage, the ransacking of stores and clashes with police. Underage residents actively participated in the riots.

The mass demonstrations swept across northern Italy following similar events in France. After the large-scale pogroms of October 17–18 in the central districts of Paris and other major cities of the country, from Lille to Marseille, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a partial curfew. French authorities blamed the chaos on "ultra-left radicals" and promised to repair the damage done to the cities at the expense of the rioters.

Source: The Moscow Times Russian Service