Italy’s PM deploys troops as nation faces widespread strikes and port blockades

ROME — Tens of thousands of people were getting ready to take to the streets of Rome, Milan and other Italian cities Friday as part of nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living and high military spending. After several weeks of violent protests in Italy and throughout Europe, more widespread disruption is expected after the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) and other trade unions called on workers in both the public and private sectors to strike and protest. The demonstrations in Italy appear to have been partly inspired by those in France, where some of the worst rioting in decades erupted in cities across the country after student protests about the state of education in the country evolved into wider actions about the cost of living and social security. Elsewhere in Europe, a huge encampment of tents has occupied a square in Madrid since late last month, and thousands of people in Portugal have taken to the streets in the city of Lisbon. Tear gas and water cannons were also used on black-clad protesters in Brussels. In Rome, many waved communist and Palestinian flags, as well as signs against the Iran war. Some let off pink smoke bombs. There was a jovial mood among the demonstrators as they lined up before the march, as has often been the case early on at previous protests, only for violence to break out later. Giovanna Di Matteo, a member of the left-wing Potere al Popolo! party, said she was protesting against the government that “did nothing for the people of this country.” The government had spent money on the military “while they cut on welfare, they cut on services and people cannot reach the end of the month,” she said. “They have no money for their houses, they have no money for gasoline and everything.” Major demonstrations were also expected in 50 other cities and towns across Italy, while protesters are also expected to blockade ports in Genoa, Livorno, Trieste and elsewhere. It comes after a number of protests in recent weeks have turned violent. Groups of masked protesters looted stores in Milan and elsewhere and threw projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons earlier this month. Italian police were out in force again Friday with riot brigades, drones and helicopters visible in the skies above the Rome protest. Protesters also stormed Rome’s historic Colosseum on Saturday, while in the south, farmers and truckers have blockaded highways and ports to protest high fuel prices which have risen since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has made law and order a key tenet of her administration, said she had “great respect” for peaceful protesters on X earlier this month. But her right-wing government has since introduced tougher penalties for rioters, including financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting. “There is nothing revolutionary about vandalizing and stealing. Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality,” Meloni said on social media after unveiling the legislation. The government also said it would deploy 500 army troops alongside the police in Milan until the end of the year.