Meloni thanks Italian police, defends right to protest

Right to demonstrate must be guaranteed alongside citizen safety: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni lauds security forces amid protests

Rome, October 25

Taking to X, the Italian Prime Minister praised the police forces as well as Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, prefects, and questors for their coordination of security operations.

"I want to thank the women and men of the Law Enforcement Agencies who, even today, in Italy's squares, have worked to ensure the safety of citizens and the right to peaceful demonstration, despite the attempts by some violent individuals to provoke clashes and disorder," Meloni wrote.

She added, "A thank you to the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, to the prefects, to the questors, and to all those who have coordinated and managed public order operations. The right to demonstrate must always be guaranteed, just as the right of citizens to live their cities in safety must be."

Meloni highlighted that recent measures introduced by the Council of Ministers are aimed at providing authorities with stronger tools to curb violence and maintain security for the public.

"It is in this direction that the measures approved in recent days by the Council of Ministers also go: to give the State more effective tools to prevent violence and prevent criminals and troublemakers from setting entire cities ablaze. Because safety must be guaranteed to everyone. To those who want to demonstrate peacefully, to those who work, and to those who want to live their city without fear. Without leaving room for those who seek only confrontation and violence," the Italian Prime Minister stated.

Meloni's remarks come as authorities stepped up security across major Italian cities, deploying thousands of police officers, soldiers, and drone surveillance ahead of nationwide protests against the rising cost of living, according to EuroNews.

Rome will see around 1,500 officers deployed, while Milan is preparing to deploy approximately 1,800 police personnel, municipal officers and soldiers to manage demonstrations and prevent a recurrence of violent incidents reported on October 17 and 18.

Protests are planned in several Italian cities, including Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Turin, Rome and Florence. According to EuroNews, more than 30 mobilisations, including marches, sit-ins, assemblies and strikes, have been scheduled across the country.

In Rome, the police have drawn up a security plan to manage both authorised demonstrations and spontaneous rallies announced online. Drones operated by the State Police's 1st Flight Department and aircraft from the Carabinieri will be used for surveillance, with security checks extending from public squares to railway stations.

— ANI