Italy deploys 500 Folgore paratroopers to Milan after looting

Italy sent about 500 soldiers from the Folgore Parachute Brigade to Milan after clashes and looting during last weekend’s cost-of-living protest. The soldiers have been patrolling shopping streets since Saturday morning.

Soldiers from Italy’s Folgore Parachute Brigade began patrolling the streets of Milan after looting and clashes last weekend. Since Saturday morning, the soldiers have been deployed mainly on shopping streets targeted by protesters, including Via Montenapoleone, home to luxury stores.

Under the decision announced by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, about 500 paratroopers were sent to the city from Siena. The soldiers will carry out public security duties in support of the police until December 31, 2026, but will not have judicial police powers. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said it made little sense for the soldiers to serve with these limited powers, as they will not carry handcuffs, stun guns or pepper spray.

A protest held in Milan on October 17-18 against the cost of living, fuel prices and taxes turned into clashes in the city center. Demonstrators, most of them very young, clashed with police in Duomo Square, smashed shop windows and looted some stores. Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that about 60 people were detained and 25 were injured in the incidents. Confcommercio, the association representing Milan’s shopkeepers and traders, estimated that the damage exceeded 700,000 euros.

Following the incidents, a group calling itself the “October 17 Movement” announced that it would hold anti-government demonstrations every Saturday. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the protesters’ grievances were understandable, but that violence against police and the serious damage inflicted on the city were unacceptable.

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