Italy dispatching 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting | The Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/manifest.json) (img/shortcut-icons/favicon.ico) (img/shortcut-icons/icon-192x192.png) (img/shortcut-icons/icon-512x512.png) (img/shortcut-icons/icon-192x192.png) (https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium.woff2) (https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium-Italic.woff2) (https://cdn.taboola.com/) (b3069522.html) (b3069522.html) (https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/europe/milan-protests-italy-troops-looting-stores-b3069522.html) (https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Regular.woff2) (https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Regular-Italic.woff2) (https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium.woff2) (../cdn.ex.co/video-uploads/production/0010J000028qYZgQAM/0c1dbf16-9fd7-4d77-9e43-472a53f18491-thumbnail.jpeg@cb=1792427150070)    Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in     (b3069522.html#main-content) Skip to content    Open full menu        US Edition    (https://www.independent.co.uk/?editionSwitcherSource=independent.co.uk) UK Edition (https://www.independent.co.uk/asia?editionSwitcherSource=independent.co.uk) Asia Edition (https://www.independentespanol.com/?editionSwitcherSource=independent.co.uk) Edición en Español          (https://www.independent.co.uk/)         (https://www.independent.co.uk/login?regSourceMethod=Nav+register+CTA) Log in     (https://www.independent.co.uk/login?regSourceMethod=Nav+register+CTA)   Log in         (https://www.independent.co.uk/us) News  (https://www.independent.co.uk/sport) Sports  (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment) Culture  (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style) Lifestyle  (https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money) Money  (https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel) Travel  (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science) Health & Science  (b3069522.html) More                                      Swipe for next article       (https://www.independent.co.uk/) News  (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world) World  (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe) Europe     Italy to dispatch 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting Luxury stores on Milan's Via Montenapoleone cleared their windows and shut early, bracing for a return of the violence that hit the city over the weekend  (https://www.independent.co.uk/author/elisa-anzolin) Elisa Anzolin   Monday 19 October 2026 22:16 BST            Bookmark   (b3069522.html#comments-area)    Comments      Go to comments       Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover              (France is on fire. Will protests spread to the UK?)   France is on fire. Will protests spread to the UK?         (Independent Membership)   Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. (https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe?regSourceMethod=Bookmarks) Join today Already a member? (b3069522.html#) Log in       Italy's government will dispatch 500 army troops to "defend Milan" after (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-riots-why-protests-macron-paris-b3068937.html) two days of unrest that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property. The troop deployment, announced Monday by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to form part of a package of security measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Luxury stores on (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/milan) Milan 's Via Montenapoleone cleared their windows Monday and shut early, bracing for (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/europe-map-protests-france-portugal-spain-italy-albania-b3068981.html) a return of the violence that hit the city over the weekend.  (Police stand inside a Decathlon sporting goods store that was targeted during protests over the rising cost of living in Milan, Italy, October 18, 2026) open image in gallery     Police stand inside a Decathlon sporting goods store that was targeted during protests over the rising cost of living in Milan, Italy, October 18, 2026(REUTERS)    Brands including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior took merchandise out of their displays as a precaution while police patrolled the street, where a handful of tourists looked on.     "From words to action: 500 more troops to defend Milan," Salvini, head of the co-ruling right-wing League party, wrote on social media.  Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who faces a national election next year, condemned the violence. She chaired a meeting with ministers and security chiefs on Monday to discuss the situation. (Workers secure a shattered shop window with wooden boards following clashes between police and protesters) open image in gallery     Workers secure a shattered shop window with wooden boards following clashes between police and protesters(REUTERS)    "The government will respond firmly to these attacks on the state, including through measures aimed at curbing violence by minors," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also serves as deputy prime minister like Salvini, wrote on X.   Corriere della Sera  newspaper said Meloni was considering extending preventive detention for minors and cracking down on youth gangs as part of the planned crackdown. The measures would bring forward some provisions contained in an existing security bill currently being examined by parliament.   The weekend trouble began as an initially peaceful demonstration on Saturday over poor public services and rising costs. However, several hundred hooded protesters, many believed to be minors, then set bins ablaze and looted shops in the city centre. (A shattered shop window is seen as pedestrians stand nearby) open image in gallery     A shattered shop window is seen as pedestrians stand nearby(REUTERS)    Ransacked stores included sports retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone. Clothing brands Levi's and Under Armour, as well as Decathlon, covered their shop windows with cardboard and wooden panels in fear of more violence.     Italian police said officers detained 271 young people during unrest in Milan on Sunday. Of those taken to police stations, 32 were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals, police said on Monday. A further 28 people were reported to judicial authorities.  (Pedestrians walk past boarded-up Levi's and Under Armour storefronts) open image in gallery     Pedestrians walk past boarded-up Levi's and Under Armour storefronts(REUTERS)    The unrest followed 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 disturbances echoed (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-protests-paris-riots-students-arrests-live-b3068924.html) unrest in neighbouring France , where hundreds of thousands of people angered by rising living costs and declining public services took to the streets on Saturday in some of the country's most violent (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/protests) protests in years.    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