Zürcher Nachrichten - Italy to send 500 troops to Milan after clashes

Some luxury brands have kept their shops shut in the centre of Italy's fashion hub after looting and riots over the weekend by mostly young protesters that left dozens of police officers injured.

A cabinet meeting on Tuesday was expected to give the go-ahead to the deployment and could approve policing powers for soldiers temporarily supporting law enforcement in the city.

The government is also considering a wider crackdown, including easing laws on detaining minors and measures to punish parents.

Hundreds of protesters were detained during two days of clashes in Milan and more protests are expected on Saturday.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday said the violent perpetrators were "thugs who exploit demonstrations to spread chaos, attack those who guarantee security, and hold entire cities hostage."

"To demonstrate is a right. To lay our cities to waste is not," she wrote on X.

Hard-right leader Meloni faces elections next year in which the state of the economy, security and immigration are likely to be the key issues.

Italy has seen a wave of protests in recent days, particularly over rising cost of living and fuel prices, with high school and university students, farmers and truck drivers taking to the streets.

Truckers have blocked or disrupted traffic across southern Italy, hitting in particular vital food industry supply chains.

Garofalo, one of Italy's leading pasta makers, stopped production on Saturday and resumed operations on Monday at just 40 percent of capacity.

"Our main customers have stocks, but I don't know how long they will last," chief executive Massimo Menna told AFP.

Menna said Garofalo has little room to manoeuvre if the blockades continue. "There's nothing we can do. When everything stops, everything stops."

He said he understood the reasons behind the protests, but feared the impact on poorer households.

"In times of crisis, it's always the least well-off who suffer the most," he said.

Fellow pasta maker Rummo has also suspended production, while another producer, La Molisana, has scaled back operations, as road blockades prevent flour deliveries from reaching factories.

Truck drivers began protesting on Friday against rising fuel costs, which have climbed since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

The disruption has already left supermarkets in parts of southern Italy short of fresh produce, including cheese, fruit and vegetables.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini met union representatives on Tuesday and promised the release of 480 million euros ($539 million) in funding aimed at addressing the fuel crisis.

But some union representatives said the blockades would continue until concrete measures are taken.

A.Weber--NZN