She deployed 500 paratroopers in the city center following last weekend’s riots and looting.

On Saturday, the city of Milan woke up under a heavy security presence as Italian security forces prepared for possible social unrest.

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The situation is being monitored constantly, but authorities remain calm because no major demonstrations have been detected so far. Surveillance efforts also extend to social media, where such events are often organized.

Authorities fear a repeat of events from the previous weekend, when a demonstration against the high cost of living degenerated into violent riots and looting carried out by young people, including minors.

The “October 17 Movement,” a group that emerged after those clashes, had initially called for another demonstration this Saturday in Duomo Square. In response, Milan has significantly increased security, particularly in its historic center.

The text reads, “Commercial premises in downtown Milan are completely boarded up for fear of a new outbreak of urban unrest. A look at the scene among the boutiques on Via Montenapoleone.”

Some shops in the area have covered their storefronts with wooden panels to prevent them from being smashed, as happened a week ago.

The increased security presence is particularly visible, with officers receiving support from 500 paratroopers from the Folgore Brigade, whom the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni deployed to the city.

The soldiers are patrolling Duomo Square, where about 10 police vans are parked, and also moving through tunnels in the subway network and along commercial streets such as Corso Buenos Aires, among other areas of the city.

The military’s mission is to reinforce the “Safe Streets Operation,” which has deployed personnel in the country’s busiest and most tourist-heavy areas since 2008.

The text reads, “I should point out that I completed my military service, so I know exactly what I’m talking about. And I maintain that they are the epitome of fanaticism and mindless obedience. For God’s sake! Paratroopers are elite units—combat units, trained for combat scenarios.”

On Saturday morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini toured downtown Milan to monitor the situation, as the day represents a test of the Italian government’s security strategy.

Last week, Meloni also approved a decree introducing deterrent legal measures, ranging from requiring parents to pay for damage caused by their children to the preventive detention of underage protesters.

So far, authorities have identified 273 demonstrators who took part in violent protests in Milan a week ago. Most are teenagers, and the youngest is 11. Forty have already been arrested.

On Friday, authorities monitored social media users in 18 cities in northern Italy and managed to identify about 100 demonstrators, half of whom are minors.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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