Italy's cabinet on Tuesday approved sending 500 troops to Milan and a set of tougher legal penalties for violent protest, as youth-driven demonstrations over the cost of living spread across Europe after unrest in France.1,5
France 24 said youth-driven protests had appeared in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Serbia and Greece. In France, it said, the spark was deteriorating conditions in high schools and universities, particularly for students from underprivileged backgrounds, while wages were not keeping up with inflation. The housing crisis was at the centre of protests in Spain and Portugal, and corruption and democratic backsliding had sparked uproar in Albania and Serbia.1
The Italian measures take effect immediately. Anyone who takes part in a group of at least five people and endangers public safety during protests faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of €20,000 ($22,460). Penalties increase if faces are concealed or people are injured, and authorities can order prompt compensation for any damage inflicted.5
Police will be allowed to detain youths aged between 14 and 17 even if they have not committed a crime, provided there is evidence they pose a danger, and parents of minors can be held liable for their children's participation in vandalism and looting. The cabinet did not approve giving soldiers policing powers, as had been expected, after opposition from President Sergio Mattarella, Italian media reported.5
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a social media post after the cabinet meeting: "Destroying and stealing is not protest, it is crime, and the state's response must be firm."5
The Italian Ministry of Defence said the military would help reinforce security at key sites, step up surveillance of sensitive locations and enhance monitoring. Unrest swept northern Italian cities at the weekend, including the financial capital Milan, where groups of mainly young people looted shops, smashed windows and clashed with police. The demonstrations were driven by anger over soaring fuel and energy prices, high rents, low wages and the state of public services.5
Meloni's government is also facing a separate wave of protests in southern Italy, where truck drivers angered by soaring diesel prices have staged roadblocks that are disrupting supply chains. Protesters in both regions say rising prices are pushing families into poverty, a concern for Meloni ahead of the 2027 national elections.5
In France, hundreds of thousands of people marched last weekend against living costs and deteriorating public services. Glenn Beck, writing in a column on TheBlaze, said the marches were quickly overtaken by violent, masked groups who looted shops, set cars and buildings on fire, and clashed with police in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges. Beck wrote that more than 2,000 people were arrested and that police largely failed to contain the chaos in several cities.6,5
Accounts differ on what drove the French unrest. France 24 identified conditions in schools and universities as the spark. Beck wrote that the chaos and destruction had "nothing to do with the schools" or any other valid grievance, and argued that it was tied to the budget the French Parliament had been scheduled to vote on, a vote that was postponed to a later date. A Washington Times report carried the headline that France was bracing for a new round of protests as officials blamed far-left agitators. The officials were not named in the material available.1,6,2
In Germany, a youth initiative called Gen Z regelt, or Gen Z's Got It, has called for mass protests in 21 cities on Saturday, October 31, including Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Munich. Thousands are expected to take part in demonstrations against "broken schools and austerity," as well as the cost of living, social injustice, military conscription and climate change. The group's website states that it is "against all violence," whether directed at people or property.3
German police said they were "vigilant and relaxed" and intended to protect people's right to congregate and express their opinions. The German report said the French protests had grown out of student frustration over the national school system and had soon drawn in numerous unions, groups and individuals voicing anger over a number of issues.3
Images of damage and violence from France, Italy and Spain have raised concerns among domestic policymakers and police in Germany, who have warned against allowing the protests to be hijacked by left-wing extremists. Andreas Roßkopf, head of the German Federal Police's GdP union, told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Wednesday that "state, but also federal police, will offer a firm and decisive response" to any trouble. He warned that radicals and extremists could insert themselves among demonstrators to "attack police" or "simply be destructive."3
