Clashes between Italian police and protesters in Milan and Bologna

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Italian media reported that police officers fired tear gas on Saturday after they were attacked by protesters who threw stones and other objects at them during clashes that broke out in the square opposite the Milan Cathedral. Clashes also occurred in the city of Bologna following protests against the high cost of living. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that police in Bologna, northern Italy, used water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, and arrested seven people after another protest turned violent.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who will run in elections next year, denounced the violence. She said on the X platform, “Demonstrating is a right, but turning our cities into battlefields is not a right.” Police in Milan, equipped with riot gear, moved to remove masked protesters from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a luxury shopping complex close to the cathedral square.

These protesters were separated from a larger protest against the rising costs of living. Shops closed and tourists fled the central area.

The Central Cathedral metro station was closed during the clashes, which Italian media reported led to the injury of several individuals and that police arrested a number of participants.