Heavy Security Deployment: State of Emergency in 8 Italian Cities Ahead of Saturday Protests

Security forces are being heavily deployed across Italy this Saturday in preparation for scheduled protests in 8 cities, including Rome and Milan, after some demonstrations turned violent last weekend.

These protests come amidst a wave of demonstrations organized by students, truck drivers, and farmers protesting budget cuts and cost-of-living issues such as housing and fuel prices.

Rome police stated in a release that they would conduct "intensive and comprehensive coverage of the field and digital space," using drones and helicopters to monitor the demonstrations.

They added that they still "aim to protect the full exercise of the right to express opinions, including dissent, but with strict adherence to the law."

In Milan, additional army troops, sent following last weekend's protests, will patrol the city center, but Mayor Giuseppe Sala confirmed there is no plan to shut down the city.

He told Radio Lombardia: "Last weekend, we were not present in sufficient numbers. We will simply try to be present in larger numbers."

Sala encouraged shops to remain open on Saturday, after many stores in the city were looted last weekend, while other businesses chose to close or remove displays from their windows.

A group calling itself the "October 17 Movement" called for protests at 13:00 GMT in eight Italian cities.

It indicated that three rallies would be organized in each city, all converging at a single location, which would only be revealed half an hour before the start of the demonstrations.

In contrast, an anti-war movement calling itself the "Anti-Imperialist Axis" organized a march in Rome.

This week, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government adopted a security decree that loosens rules for detaining minors, introduces the crime of "violent participation in demonstrations," and imposes fines on parents for damages caused by their children during protests.

Police reported on Friday that they had carried out dozens of raids against individuals suspected of involvement in looting and rioting during last weekend's protests.

The government also approved a series of measures to help truck drivers and fishermen cope with the sharp rise in fuel prices.

All roads blocked by truck drivers with their vehicles have been reopened, after the blockades paralyzed southern Italy and led to days-long shortages of fuel and food supplies.