Security: green light for the sixth decree. Meloni: ‘Violence is unacceptable; no one should justify it’

The new offence of ‘violent participation in demonstrations’ and 500 additional military personnel sent to Milan to reinforce public order. However, they will have no judicial police powers: they will be able to identify troublemakers, but not arrest them. The President’s veto has blocked what, according to pre-announcements the day before, was set to be one of the key new measures in the sixth Security Decree-Law passed by the Meloni Government – which, like its predecessors, was approved in the wake of recent events.

“We have all seen the images of the violence that shook Milan and other Italian cities at the weekend – shops looted, shop windows smashed, and law enforcement officers attacked,” the Prime Minister emphasised. “These are unacceptable scenes that no one can possibly downplay or justify; that is why, today, the Council of Ministers has approved a decree introducing new measures to prevent and combat this violence.”

Meloni herself announced that the decree introduces the new offence of ‘violent participation in a demonstration’: this offence is committed when, during a march or demonstration, a person joins a group of five or more people with the intention of causing destruction and endangering the safety of others; it is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of up to 20,000 euros, with increased penalties if the offence is committed whilst the face is covered.

As the Prime Minister explained, the government’s draft bill – which alters the criteria for criminal liability among minors, overturning the system in place until now – has been incorporated into the decree: young people aged between 14 and 18 will always be held criminally liable, unless proven otherwise. ‘And pre-trial detention, which until now applied only to adults, may also be applied to minors,’ she added.

‘With this measure, we are applying “a simple principle: whoever causes the damage pays, and if the person responsible is a minor, their parents pay”,’ Meloni also emphasised. ‘How does it work? If the damage is to public property – a bus shelter, a traffic light, a van – the prefect sends a payment order to the offender’s home. If the damage is to private property – a shop window, a shop, a car – the owner goes to court and obtains an injunction that is immediately enforceable’. It will be possible to contest this, of course, “but in the meantime, the parents of that young person who enjoyed smashing everything up will have to pay, and the person who suffered the damage will be able to recover the full amount from the family’s assets, including any money the State may owe them.”