Italian police used tear gas against protesters in Milan on Saturday after demonstrators hurled stones and bottles at officers, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The protest drew over 5,000 participants, mostly young people, who gathered in the city center near the Milan Cathedral. Police in protective gear responded after protesters began throwing projectiles. Shop windows were smashed and property was vandalized in the area, including the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade adjacent to the cathedral square. An evacuation was conducted at the central plaza in front of the cathedral due to the disorder.
The demonstrations were part of broader anti-government protests across Italy. Students took to the streets in multiple Italian cities on October 16, with unrest reported in Turin and Bologna. Protesters expressed opposition to expensive fuel prices and what they characterized as a war economy.
In Rome on Saturday, the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), the country's largest union, held a separate protest. Union leader Maurizio Landini accused the government of investing money exclusively in armaments while keeping wages low amid rising costs of living. Landini announced that a general strike will take place on November 20. Another general strike in Italy has already been scheduled for October 30.