Thousands of young people took to the streets of several Italian cities, including Milan, Rome and Turin, on Saturday as authorities deployed additional police and soldiers to prevent a repeat of the violence and looting that marred similar protests last week.
Demonstrations remained largely peaceful in Milan, while brief clashes broke out between protesters and police in Rome and Turin.
In Milan, thousands marched through the streets as soldiers were deployed and luxury shops boarded up their windows. By late afternoon, however, most stores had reopened.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced several measures to strengthen security, including deploying an additional 500 soldiers to Milan and imposing tougher penalties on minors. Police said young people made up a large proportion of those involved in last week's violence. Authorities in Milan also detained several minors as a preventive measure.
Beyond Italy, large demonstrations took place in several European cities, including Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana, as protesters raised concerns about education, corruption, war, pensions and housing affordability.
Soldiers deployed as Milan braces for unrest
As night fell, large crowds, mostly comprising young people, gathered in Milan, chanting slogans against Meloni and holding banners reading, “No to lies of the state.”
Some protesters dumped manure outside Italy's energy regulator and burned an oversized electricity bill as a symbolic protest.
The additional 500 soldiers joined hundreds already stationed in Milan. They supported around 5,000 police officers and other security personnel. Authorities also introduced drone surveillance, railway station checks, rapid-response units and online monitoring to identify potential calls for violence.
Pierfrancesco Majorino, a mayoral hopeful who announced his candidacy on Thursday, joined the march and noted that the demonstration had remained peaceful. He plans to contest a centre-left primary in early 2027.
Milan's centre-left Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who has held office since 2016, will not seek another term.
Many shops, particularly luxury boutiques in the city's fashion district, boarded up their windows ahead of the demonstrations. The affected stores included Omega, Tiffany and Gucci. The Apple store also closed and remained shut even after other businesses reopened.
Last weekend, rioters broke into shops and looted goods, particularly sneakers, sportswear and sporting equipment, along streets leading off the city's central Duomo square.
Security measures were extended beyond the city centre amid concerns that unrest could spread to other neighbourhoods.
The protesters ended their march peacefully on Saturday evening outside Milan Polytechnic, more than three kilometres from the city centre.
Authorities said they were investigating a 30-year-old freelance journalist suspected of being the “mastermind” behind the newly formed October 17 movement, which has played a leading role in recent protests in Italy.
Milan police said around 2,000 young protesters were involved in last week's violence and looting. Those involved included second-generation Italians and foreign nationals, according to police. Officers arrested 45 people over two days, including 34 minors.
A group of around 30 far-right activists described as hooligans linked to Inter Milan football club briefly appeared at the demonstrations, chanting anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim slogans. Police kept the group separate from other protesters.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said soldiers deployed on Saturday had only recently been authorised to use plastic restraint ties, and only in areas around railway stations rather than throughout the city. They are not permitted to carry pepper spray or tasers, he added.
Protesters attempt to enter Rome's Colosseum
Authorities also tightened security in Rome, closing luxury shopping streets and increasing patrols around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo.
A small group of protesters attempted to force their way into the Colosseum but were escorted out by guards. Elsewhere, several hundred students demonstrated peacefully, stressing that they should not be associated with those responsible for the violence.
“The images from last week were truly something terrible, especially for the young people, for the students, for the vast majority of the younger generations who want to study ... and do not accept being represented by those who use issues and needs to devastate entire cities,” said Riccardo Ponzio, national president of an Italian far-right student association.
A separate anti-war march took place in central Rome. Organisers sought to distance their demonstration from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible.
However, anti-war protesters were involved in brief clashes with police near Piazza della Repubblica. Organisers tried to hold back the crowd using batons and tear gas, but tensions escalated.
The protesters eventually retreated after police deployed a water cannon, moving to a location about half a kilometre away.
Clashes and fires in Albania
In Tirana, the capital of Albania, riot police used water cannons against large groups of protesters on Saturday. Some demonstrators set government buildings on fire and threw objects at police.
Authorities deployed 2,500 officers across the city to maintain order.
For more than a week, protesters have thrown rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police, who have responded with batons and tear gas during clashes in the city centre.
High school and university students are demanding lower tuition fees, increased government investment in education and action against corruption in the education system.
Some have also joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Earlier, a separate opposition-organised protest outside the prime minister's office turned violent, with some activists setting fires in the street.
Rama said on Saturday that his government was preparing a response to the students' demands and invited them to talks. He warned that those involved in violence would face penalties.
Pension concerns and housing costs fuel protests
In Madrid, thousands of retirees and other demonstrators marched peacefully on Saturday, demanding that public pensions be protected from changes.
“They are threatening us with privatising pensions. It's just another thing they want to profit from,” said Maria José Benito, 68.
The demonstration came ahead of next month's snap election, as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party criticised the conservative Popular Party for making proposals that it said could lead to the privatisation of public pensions.
Spain has also experienced protests over housing affordability this autumn, as rental and property prices have risen beyond the reach of many residents in recent years.
Inspired by the demonstrations in Spain, protesters demanding affordable housing marched through Lisbon on Saturday.
They also criticised recent measures announced by the government of Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, including plans to ease restrictions on annual rent increases and make it easier to evict tenants who fail to pay rent.
Montenegro has defended the measures, saying they are intended to strengthen trust between landlords and tenants and encourage growth in the rental market.
Protesters, however, argue that the changes are unfair and leave tenants more vulnerable.