Vandalism and looting in Milan: over 200 people detained, 80 per cent of whom are minors. Meloni calls a summit on security

There are several police patrol cars and officers in riot gear in the square. The number of people stopped for identification has risen to 160 in just a few hours, 80 per cent of whom are minors. Some of them had already been identified yesterday, whilst others said they had come for the first time today.

These are small groups that act with lightning speed. They arrive, cause chaos, take things and run off. This is the method they used to wreak havoc in Milan just yesterday. From San Babila, they began pulling up their hoods and pulling on their hoodies, then threw objects (missing their targets) at the police, before moving on to Via Torino.

 The epicentre of the unrest is Via Torino, where protesters smashed the windows of a Carrefour supermarket and went inside to loot it. They emerged with bottles of alcohol, throwing food onto the street. The youths also targeted litter bins, scooters, mopeds and bicycles. The outdoor seating areas of local bars and restaurants were not spared: many tables were thrown onto the street, and several parasols were destroyed.

 The police deployed water cannons and fired tear gas, forcing the small groups of hooded youths who had been wreaking havoc on the street up to that point to scatter into side streets to escape the police and the Carabinieri, jumping onto the queued-up cars and damaging parked vehicles.

After Via Torino, the youths moved on to Via Broletto, where they stormed the outdoor seating areas as they made their way up towards Via del Lauro. Here too, they threw tables and bicycles before scattering once again. Small groups of youths dressed in black then caused tension in the Moscova area, between Largo La Foppa, Via Moscova and Corso Garibaldi – a nightlife district that is packed with young people and tourists at the weekend. Here too, they damaged several venues and looted shops before the police arrived. Several police vehicles were also stationed outside the Teatro alla Scala, where a concert by the Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, is scheduled for this evening.

During the afternoon, the hooded youths also moved towards Piazza Cordusio, where several rubbish bins were set alight. The Levi’s and Under Armour shops on Via Orefici, next to Cordusio, were looted during the unrest: the protesters smashed the shop windows of Under Armour and Levi’s using the handlebars of a scooter: some of them started kicking and smashing the windows, whilst many others stood by watching and filming what was happening. They then entered the shops, carrying goods out and throwing clothes hangers onto the street.

Right there on the street, a cordon of officers in riot gear advanced, firing tear gas to drive the demonstrators back. Signs of damage are visible in the area, with rubbish bins and scooters overturned on the ground. A car belonging to the Lombardy Regional Government was pelted with a barrage of objects as it drove past, but managed to get through. Another group of young people, also dressed in black and wearing hoods, managed to smash through the shop windows and break into the Decathlon shop located a few steps away from Sforza Castle. The Vodafone shop on Corso Garibaldi was also targeted by the youths: shop windows were smashed and goods were taken before they fled.

Mayor Sala: total condemnation of criminal acts, no sympathy

“I am watching live as events unfold in the centre of Milan, with smashed shop windows, looted shops and frightened citizens. I want to be as clear as possible: I utterly condemn those who commit these criminal acts, and I will show no sympathy for behaviour that leaves little room for understanding. This applies in particular to today’s incidents.” So said the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala.

“I would, however, like to make it clear that my request for more police officers on the ground is not intended to be controversial but is based on my knowledge of the city,” the mayor emphasised. “ “I would like to make it clear that I have given instructions for the Local Police, in accordance with security management regulations, to play their part to the full, in support of the State Police.”

“Looters, thieves, violent thugs. Shattered shop windows, ransacked shops, defaced historic monuments. The images coming from the centre of Milan are scenes of looting, not student demonstrations”. This was posted on social media by Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, commenting on the events unfolding in Milan today. “Gangs of violent thugs smashing shop windows to break in and steal, wreaking havoc on the streets and clashing with the police. Criminals,” the president continues, “who must be treated as such. There are no ‘buts’, no ‘poor things’ and no justification whatsoever. “The police must be provided with all the tools they need to intervene with the utmost firmness and restore order and safety to our streets. We must respond,” concludes Fontana, “with a firm hand, whilst respecting the law. Our cities cannot be held hostage by these criminals.”

“Here in the centre of Milan, meanwhile, it’s the second day of street fighting. I’m filming everyone who’s smashing things up in the streets. Not a single Italian in sight.” This was posted on social media by Lega senator Claudio Borghi, in a series of posts about the afternoon’s unrest in the Lombard capital. “Here’s the average Milan rioter,” he adds, posting a photo of a young man with his face pixelated. “His face has already been identified and passed on to the police. Moncler, designer clothes… forget about ius soli or ius scholae. A barrage of deportations and Salvini at the Ministry of the Interior as a precondition (written in capital letters, ed.) for any future government.” Another post features a photo of a car with a smashed windscreen. “Cars smashed up just for the sake of it. I – writes the League senator – filmed the whole thing. I’ll hand it over to the Carabinieri and I’m willing to bet that once they’re arrested and brought before a judge, they’ll all be released with a pat on the back. N.B.: in Lombardy, the ‘YES’ vote won the referendum; in Milan, 58 per cent voted ‘NO’.”

The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, has reportedly held a meeting with the Chief of Police and senior officials at the Ministry of the Interior to take stock of the situation regarding the unrest in Milan. Also joining the meeting remotely was the Milan Police Commissioner, Bruno Megale, joined remotely, to whom the Minister conveyed his gratitude to the men and women in uniform for the way they had dealt with the unrest – violent acts provoked by groups of hooligans, mostly minors, who had gathered suddenly and spontaneously via social media. Nevertheless, thanks to the professionalism of the police force, pre-planned operations were carried out which made it possible to deal with groups scattered across the city, limit the damage caused and apprehend over 200 hooligans.