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The weekend of riots and violence in Milan was caused by a “hybrid war” waged against the West, the Italian Defense Minister warned on Tuesday.
Days of unrest in Italy saw protesters clash with police, loot shops and vandalize property after peaceful protests over the cost of living and public services turned violent.
“The events in Milan and elsewhere in Italy are fundamentally different from those observed in other eras,” said Guido Crosetto.
“They are the product of what I call “hybrid warfare,” a form of conflict waged against our nations using unconventional tools like TikTok, social media and YouTube. »
Mr. Crosetto did not mention who he believed was behind the “hybrid” attacks, but the phrase is frequently used to describe Russian attempts to destabilize Europe through the spread of disinformation and cyberattacks. European officials recently warned that Moscow would intensify its hybrid campaign on the continent.
Crosetto argued that the West had been slow to respond to the threat, saying young people could receive “counter-education” outside of school and family.
Italy was expected to approve new security measures targeting minors on Tuesday, politicians said, in response to two days of unrest that saw hooded protesters set trash cans on fire and looted stores.
Law enforcement will be allowed to detain people under 18 in police stations for 12 hours, even if they have not committed a crime, provided there is evidence they pose a danger, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said.
Rome is also expected to deploy 500 additional troops to Milan, as authorities fear further unrest during protests planned for Saturday.
“From words to actions: 500 more soldiers to defend Milan,” Salvini, who heads the ruling right-wing League party, said in an article on X.
Luxury stores in Milan’s Via Montenapoleone shopping district, including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior, have removed expensive merchandise from their windows for fear of another day of rioting.
Sports retailers Decathlon and Arc’teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone were all trashed over the weekend, while other brands including Levi’s, Under Armor and Decathlon all covered their windows.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is seeking re-election in next year’s parliamentary elections, condemned the violence, saying: “Thugs who exploit protests to sow chaos, attack those providing security and take entire cities hostage. Protesting is a right. Burning our cities is not.”
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also deputy prime minister like Salvini, wrote on
As part of the planned crackdown on protests, Meloni plans to extend the preventive detention of minors and crack down on youth gangs, Corriere della Sera the newspaper reported, fast-tracking provisions of an existing security bill currently being considered by Parliament.
Italian police said they arrested 271 young people during unrest in Milan on Sunday. Among the people taken to the police stations, 32 were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals, the police said on Monday. Twenty-eight other people were reported to judicial authorities.
The unrest follows clashes on Saturday in Milan and other northern cities, including Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, where 28 protesters were arrested, according to a police report released on Sunday.
The unrest echoes unrest in neighboring France, where hundreds of thousands of people angry over the rising cost of living and declining public services took to the streets on Saturday in some of the country’s most violent protests in years.
New curfews are expected to be imposed this evening in France, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said, saying the measures taken last night had contributed to “calm” across the country.
“Targeted curfews contributed to the calm of this night,” declared Mr. Lecornu, specifying that new curfews would be decided “on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors”.
Last night, the French government imposed partial curfews across the country, including in Paris and Nice, after riots and looting occurred over the weekend.
Gn world
