Rome, October 24, 2026 – The Europe Today: Italy is preparing for a fresh wave of protests on Saturday in eight cities, including Rome and Milan, as public anger grows over budget cuts and the rising cost of living. Authorities have announced extensive security measures, including the deployment of drones and helicopters, following unrest during demonstrations last weekend.
Security forces are being deployed in large numbers across the country to maintain public order as students, truck drivers, farmers and other groups continue to voice concerns over government spending cuts and rising housing and fuel costs.
Rome’s police force said it would “saturate both physical and virtual territory” and deploy drones and helicopters to monitor the demonstrations. However, authorities stressed that they remained committed to protecting the public’s right to peaceful expression and dissent, provided protests complied with the law.
In Milan, additional soldiers deployed following last weekend’s unrest will patrol the city centre. Mayor Giuseppe Sala said there were no plans to shut down the city, adding that authorities would increase security personnel to prevent a recurrence of the previous disturbances.
Sala also urged businesses to remain open on Saturday after several boutiques in Milan, a major international fashion centre, were looted during last weekend’s protests. Some shops had subsequently closed or removed their window displays amid security concerns.
“If panic spreads then everything stops,” Sala said on Friday, appealing for calm and continued commercial activity.
A group calling itself the “October 17 Movement” has called for demonstrations to begin at 1300 GMT in eight Italian cities. According to the organisers, three separate marches will take place in each city before converging at a single location. The final meeting points are expected to be announced only 30 minutes before the demonstrations begin.
Separately, the anti-war movement known as the “Anti-imperialist Axis” has organised a rally in Rome.
The demonstrations come as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government faces mounting pressure over economic concerns and public security. Earlier this week, the government adopted a security decree that eases detention rules for minors, introduces an offence of “violent participation in a demonstration” and imposes fines on parents for damage caused by their children during protests.
Police said on Friday that they had conducted dozens of raids targeting individuals suspected of involvement in looting and rioting during last weekend’s demonstrations.
In an effort to ease economic pressures, the government has also approved measures to assist truck drivers and fishermen struggling with soaring fuel prices. Meanwhile, almost all truck blockades that had paralysed parts of southern Italy and caused fuel and food shortages for several days have now been lifted.
The latest demonstrations are expected to test the government’s ability to maintain public order while balancing security concerns with the right to peaceful protest amid persistent cost-of-living pressures.
