Italy protests turn violent as 28 arrested, 141 police officers injured

ROME — Italian police arrested 28 people, including 12 minors, after cost-of-living protests erupted into violence across several cities on Saturday, leaving 141 law enforcement officers injured and causing extensive damage to businesses, according to Sky TG24.Tensions continued in central Milan on Sunday following clashes between protesters and security forces during demonstrations against rising living costs, fuel prices and tax pressures.Police said 197 people were identified and taken to police stations, while 43 were reported to judicial authorities.The demonstrations, organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, drew approximately 5,000 participants in Milan, 3,000 in Turin, 2,000 in Bologna, 600 in Brescia and 800 in Bergamo, according to police estimates.In Milan, groups of protesters hurled stones, bottles, firecrackers and barricades at police officers, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.Several shops in the city center were damaged and looted, while a Carabinieri vehicle was destroyed during the unrest.Police arrested 17 people in Milan, where retail association Confcommercio estimated damage to businesses at more than €500,000 ($561,860), according to Sky TG24.In Turin, police arrested an adult on suspicion of resisting an officer and three minors accused of carrying Molotov cocktails.A group of protesters also entered the Feltrinelli bookstore at Porta Nuova railway station and threw books onto the floor.In Bologna, five minors were arrested following clashes near the railway station, where demonstrators threw bottles, stones and barriers at security forces.Police deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with law enforcement officers and called on opposition parties to unequivocally condemn the violence.She acknowledged that thousands of people had demonstrated peacefully but stressed that violence and attacks on security personnel were unacceptable.Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said his League party would resubmit a parliamentary proposal requiring organizers of demonstrations considered high-risk to provide financial guarantees to cover potential damage.Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said protesters’ concerns over economic pressures were understandable but insisted that attacks on police officers and widespread destruction could not be justified.Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore also condemned the violence, urging young people to distance themselves from groups using demonstrations as a pretext for unrest.