2026-10-21 11:54:05Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Giorgia Meloni

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni , held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to approve new security measures, which also target minors, after days of unrest marked by clashes with police, looting and vandalism.

The package introduces a new criminal offense of " violent participation in a demonstration ," tougher penalties for protesters, and immediate financial liability for parents whose children participate in vandalism and looting.

"Shops looted, windows broken, law enforcement officers attacked: these are unacceptable scenes, which no one should think of minimizing or justifying. Precisely for this reason, the Cabinet approved a decree containing new measures to prevent and combat this violence. These measures come in addition to those approved in recent months, starting with biometric identification, including the use of artificial intelligence to discover the identity of those hiding behind a hood," said Meloni.

The Italian government also announced the deployment of 500 additional army troops to Milan to work alongside police forces and strengthen security in the city until the end of the year.

"The preventive detention, which until now only applied to adults, will be extended to minors. 500 additional military personnel will land in Milan by the end of the year, working together with the police and the Carabinieri, we are strengthening the juvenile justice system with more magistrates and more places in detention centers, so that the certainty of the sentence also applies to 16-year-olds," said the Italian Prime Minister.

The measures come after hundreds of hooded protesters, many of whom are believed to be minors, set fire to garbage bins and looted shops in Milan and other cities over the weekend, following initially peaceful demonstrations over poor public services and rising costs.

Meloni has passed a steady stream of security measures since taking office in 2022, which critics say do little to address the underlying causes of crime and disorder. 

In recent days, transporters have also protested against rising fuel and transport costs, leading to shortages of basic goods in some shops and long queues at petrol stations in southern Italy. Those who break things pay, Meloni concluded.


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