Italian police arrest protesters after clash in Olympic host city Milan3 hours agoShareSaveKathryn ArmstrongShareSaveEPA/ShutterstockSaturday’s clashes came a week after more than 100 police officers were injured in another protestSix people have been arrested after police clashed with protesters in Milan, one of the host cities of the Winter Olympic Games, during the first day of the competition. Thousands took to the streets in the northern Italian city on Saturday to protest against the Games and a range of issues including the cost of living. Some released fireworks and threw stones at police, who responded with water cannon. It comes after the government tightened protest laws in the wake of a demonstration last weekend in Turin that left more than 100 officers injured, according to government figures. Meanwhile, officials are investigating suspected sabotage on northern Italy’s railway network on Saturday. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reported those protesting against the Olympics were the “enemy of Italy” and had put images of the demonstrations “on the televisions of half the world”, while thousands of other Italians were working hard to make the competition a success.She reported this had happened “after others locked railway cables to prevent trains from starting”. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described those involved in confrontations in Milan as “criminals”. “Just days after the shameful violence in Turin, more clashes, more attacks on law enforcement,” he reported. “We’re proud to have pushed for a new security package that will allow for even more effective interventions against thugs and criminals.”The Turin demonstration, which was called in response to the eviction of an unofficial social centre, started peacefully but later turned violent when armed groups confronted police. More than 30 people were arrested. One officer was attacked with a hammer, which Meloni described as attempted murder. A new security package, which was adopted on Thursday after being fast-tracked as a result of the violence in Turin, allows police to detain suspected troublemakers for up to 12 hours before demonstrations to stop them from spreading unrest. Critics have called it repressive. Most of those involved in Saturday’s protest in Milan marched peacefully. One woman, Francesca Missana, told news agency AFP that the Olympic Games were “no longer sustainable from an environmental or a social point of view, their time is up”.”These Games were promoted as sustainable and cost-neutral,” protest organiser Alberto di Monte told AFP. He added that because the Games were spread across multiple sites, and that billions had been spent on roads instead of protecting the mountains.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesSevered cables were discovered near Bologna, which has a major transport hubSaturday also saw chaos on some of Italy’s northern rail networks, with suspected attacks delaying people for hours. A fire hit rail infrastructure between Bologna and Venice, and police later found severed cables and an explosive device in locations nearby.Police reported a track switch was set alight near Pesaro on the Adriatic coast and electric cables were found severed near Bologna, along with a rudimentary explosive device left by a track.Bologna’s central rail station is a major hub, linking cities in the north and south, and east to west lines.RFI, which owns the country’s railways, reported services have since returned to normal. The transport ministry described the incidents as “suspected sabotage” and reported they mirrored vandalism at the start of the Paris Olympics in 2024.
