Meloni Meets Security Officials After Milan Riots Cause 500 Million Euros Damage

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is meeting with security officials following two days of youth-led rioting in Milan that resulted in more than 500 million euros in damages. The violence began Saturday during a cost-of-living crisis demonstration and continued Sunday, characterized by hooded youths looting shops and attacking police with stones and flares. The unrest followed anti-government protests by high-school students on Friday.

Authorities detained over 200 people, with minors accounting for 80% of the arrests. Meloni promised the government will adopt new tools to stop those who sow chaos. In response to the violence, the League party has called for the extension of preventative detention for minors.

The events have triggered a political conflict over security failures. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi criticized Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala for insufficient police deployment, while Sala maintained that the police presence was inadequate to prevent the chaos. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein accused the government of using the riots as a pretext to ignore peaceful protesters.