Italy will deploy 500 soldiers to Milan by the end of the year to assist police after looting and clashes erupted in the city last weekend. This was announced by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, quoted by France Presse (AFP), BTA reports.
A government meeting also approved new measures to strengthen responsibility for acts of violence. They envisage facilitating the detention of minors, imposing fines on their parents in case of damage, as well as introducing a crime related to participation in violence during demonstrations.
“Demonstrations are a right, but the looting of our cities is not“, said Meloni in a video posted on the social network Ex.
According to the prime minister, nearly 200 police officers were injured in the riots, and 330 people were detained. Half of them are of “foreign origin” - a definition that in this case includes both people born outside Italy and those born in the country with parents born abroad.
The government has also decided to impose fines on parents whose children cause damage during the protests.
At the same time, the cabinet has not approved granting police powers to soldiers. According to Italian media, this idea has met with resistance from President Sergio Mattarella, considered a respected moderate in Italian political life.
Last weekend, Milan, Italy's economic capital, became the scene of looting and clashes between demonstrators and police. The tension also led to the closure of stores of some luxury brands, AFP notes.