Milan gets 500 soldiers after 220 minors arrested

The Italian government has placed 500 soldiers in Milan, the country's financial center, to secure the city ahead of new protests scheduled for Saturday. This deployment follows a turbulent week in which demonstrations turned violent, resulting in looting and clashes with police that forced the state to introduce stricter security protocols.

The arrests from last Sunday provide the baseline for the current security posture. A total of 271 individuals were detained during the previous round of demonstrations. Of that group, 220 were under the age of 18, according to data cited by the Corriere della Sera. The high number of juvenile detainees has prompted a review of Italy's capacity to handle young offenders.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addressed the issue directly on Sky TG24, stating that the nation needs to expand the capacity of its youth detention facilities. He linked this need to the mass arrests of minors. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor attributed the behavior of some participants to social media, describing the actions as insurrectional acts driven by online coordination.

Lawyer Michele D'Agostino is currently defending two of the detained demonstrators, a 21-year-old and a 15-year-old. He noted that the younger client did not understand the political reasons behind the protest. D'Agostino said the teenager had seen the event on TikTok and decided to attend with a friend. The lawyer added that the 15-year-old was not among the looters but failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

The upcoming demonstrations are organized by the October 17 Movement, a recently formed group working alongside student federations and grassroots trade unions. The group plans to hold rallies in eight cities. Organizers have kept the specific locations secret until the final hour, with three meeting points expected to be announced on social media on Saturday afternoon. The movement stated on Instagram that it distrusts the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling it authoritarian.

Police efforts to identify key organizers have intensified. Officers questioned the administrator of the movement's Instagram page after locating him. The Corriere della Sera identified the individual as a 30-year-old Italian-Moroccan freelance journalist and researcher. He is under investigation for suspicion of inciting crimes. On Friday, police conducted raids in several cities, followed by 150 additional searches in the Lombardy region on Saturday morning.

Economic pressure also fueled the unrest. Truck drivers in southern Italy established roadblocks earlier in the week to protest rising fuel prices. These blockades left markets without supplies for days. In response, the government granted tax breaks and established a special fund for farmers and fishermen on Thursday.