Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Riots that swept through several French cities in\nmid-October 2026 formed part of a wave of demonstrations across Europe\ntriggered by the cost of living and public dissatisfaction with public\nservices. A similar situation unfolded in Milan, Italy, where protests\nagainst high living costs turned into clashes between demonstrators and\nsecurity forces.<\/p>\n
On Saturday (17 October), central Milan, including Piazza del Duomo,\nbecame the scene of rioting after masked demonstrators threw stones and\nother hard objects at police. Several shops were looted, vehicles were\ndamaged, and barricades made from tables and chairs were set alight.<\/p>\n
Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds. As a\nresult, the city centre, normally busy with tourists and local\nresidents, was temporarily cleared.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press reported on 17 October that around 50\ndemonstrators had been detained, including several minors. At least two\npolice officers were also reported injured in the clashes.<\/p>\n
The unrest continued on Sunday (18 October). Reuters reported that\npolice again confronted demonstrators throwing stones and damaging shops\naround Piazza del Duomo. More than 60 people were taken to police\nstations for questioning.<\/p>\n
The events drew public attention because they took place almost\nsimultaneously with large-scale demonstrations in France. What caused\nthe unrest in Milan, and was it directly connected to the wave of\nprotests in its neighbouring country?<\/p>\n
One of the main triggers for the demonstrations in Milan was the\neconomic pressure felt by the public, particularly the high cost of\neveryday necessities and wage growth that has lagged behind the cost of\nliving.<\/p>\n
The problem is especially acute in Italy\u2019s major cities, including\nMilan, known as a centre for business, fashion and finance. High housing\ncosts, rents, transport costs and the price of basic goods have made it\ndifficult for some residents to meet their day-to-day needs.<\/p>\n
Wages considered insufficient to keep pace with rising expenses have\nalso fuelled discontent. For some young workers and low-income groups,\nhaving a job in a major city does not necessarily guarantee a decent\nstandard of living.<\/p>\n
These conditions have prompted people to take to the streets to make\ndemands concerning welfare, purchasing power and the government\u2019s\neconomic policies.<\/p>\n
However, it is important to understand that not all demonstrators\nshared the same demands. Some focused on economic issues, while other\ngroups raised broader social and political concerns.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations in Milan also included demands relating to war and the\ninternational political situation. According to the Associated Press,\nSaturday\u2019s (17 October) protest focused not only on the high cost of\nliving but also voiced opposition to war.<\/p>\n
The combination of economic and political issues brought together\npeople from different backgrounds and with differing interests.<\/p>\n
For some demonstrators, the rising cost of living cannot be separated\nfrom global economic conditions and government political decisions. They\ncalled on the government to pay greater attention to public welfare and\nto the impact of domestic and foreign policy on everyday life.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the fact that demonstrations raised a range of demands\ndoes not mean that all participants supported violence. Rioting broke\nout when some groups engaged in vandalism and clashed with security\nforces.<\/p>\n
This distinction matters: protests as a means of expressing views\nshould not be conflated with looting or attacks on other people.<\/p>\n
The demonstrations in Milan initially took the form of a public\nexpression of grievances. The situation changed when some masked\ndemonstrators began throwing stones, pieces of paving and other objects\nat police.<\/p>\n
Some members of the crowd also set fire to barricades made from\ntables and chairs, smashed shop windows and looted several stores in the\ncity centre.<\/p>\n
Police then used tear gas and water cannon to disperse groups\ninvolved in the clashes. Security was tightened around Piazza del Duomo\nand the shopping district, including the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II\nshopping arcade.<\/p>\n
According to Euronews on 18 October, the rioting left 25 people\ninjured and taken to hospitals across Milan. Ten of them were police\npersonnel. Around 50 people were also detained after the protest.<\/p>\n
The situation grew tense again on Sunday (18 October), when hundreds\nof young people gathered around Piazza del Duomo. Some groups resumed\nvandalism, overturned bins, damaged street infrastructure and attacked\nsecurity personnel.<\/p>\n
Police again moved to disperse the crowd. The incident showed that\nthe unrest did not end when the first day\u2019s demonstrations were\nover.<\/p>\n
It should be emphasised that violence was carried out by some groups;\nthis does not mean that all demonstrators voicing economic demands were\ninvolved in the destruction.<\/p>\n
Were the Milan riots connected to the demonstrations in France?<\/p>\n
The fact that the unrest in Milan occurred close in time to\nlarge-scale demonstrations in France made the two events appear\nconnected.<\/p>\n
In France, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on\nSaturday (17 October) to express dissatisfaction with rising living\ncosts, conditions in education and deteriorating public services. The\ndemonstrations, involving students, trade unions and other groups, were\nlater marked by clashes, looting and arson.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported on 18 October that more than 2,400 people had been\narrested in France, while nearly 1,000 police personnel had been\ninjured. One demonstrator also died after suffering cardiac arrest\nduring a protest in Paris.<\/p>\n
In Italy, similar demonstrations took place in Milan and several\nother cities, including Turin and Bologna. These protests were also\ndriven by the cost of living and public welfare, but had their own\ndomestic political context.<\/p>\n
Al Jazeera reported on 17 October that cost-of-living demonstrations\nwere taking place in several European countries, including France,\nItaly, Belgium and Portugal. The wave of action showed that economic\npressure and affordability had become concerns across a number of\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Although the events occurred at almost the same time, there is not\nyet sufficient evidence to conclude that the Milan riots were a direct\nresult of the unrest in France or that both were controlled by the same\ngroup.<\/p>\n
The timing and similarity of the demands are better understood as\nreflecting social discontent emerging simultaneously in several European\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence during\nthe demonstrations. She said people had the right to express their\nviews, but that setting public facilities alight, looting shops and\nattacking police could not be justified.<\/p>\n
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala also said the reasons behind the protests\nwere understandable, but that violence against officers and serious\ndamage to the city could not be justified.<\/p>\n
The Italian government faces the challenge of maintaining public\norder without ignoring the economic issues underlying the\ndemonstrations. Action against those responsible for violence needs to\nbe distinguished from efforts to address demands made peacefully by\nresidents.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported on 18 October that Meloni planned to hold a\ngovernment meeting on Monday (19 October) to discuss the security\nsituation and unrest in several cities.<\/p>\n
The meeting will be important in determining the government\u2019s\nmeasures to prevent further clashes, protect public facilities and\naddress damage caused by the rioting.<\/p>\n
The unrest in Milan shows how demonstrations driven by economic\nconcerns can develop into a security problem when some groups resort to\nviolence.<\/p>\n
Clashes were also reported in Turin and Bologna over the same\nweekend. Meanwhile, France was still working to recover from unrest that\ncaused damage to public buildings, shop looting and thousands of\narrests.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear whether these events will develop into a prolonged\nwave of unrest across Europe. The situation will depend on government\nresponses, economic conditions and the authorities\u2019 ability to maintain\nsecurity without worsening tensions with the public.<\/p>\n
The government also needs to address the underlying issues, including\nthe high cost of living, housing affordability, wages and the quality of\npublic services.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/riots-spread-to-milan-what-sparked-them-1792634009", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }