There were moments of inevitable tension, some clashes with police, including charges and tear gas. But overall, nothing comparable to what happened last weekend in downtown Milan.

This is the outcome of the protests against the high cost of living that took place in all the main Italian cities today, Saturday, October 24th.

Everywhere there were chants and banners against Giorgia Meloni and the government, against the high cost of living, against the war and rearmament, and even against Zelensky. There were also slogans against the police.

MILAN

Milan is under special observation, with the Duomo under lockdown—the police managed to prevent access to the area—and several preventative checks on the subway to prevent the mass looting and vandalism that occurred last weekend in the city center. Clashes erupted near Corso Venezia, where several thousand protesters, mostly university students, clashed with police. A number of batons were used, and the march was blocked near Via Borghetto. Several shops lowered their shutters for fear of unrest.

There were two marches: one from Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci headed toward the city center, starting with 500 people and gradually swelling to several thousand. Another 5,000 protesters, mostly students and opponents of the collectives, set out from Lanza in front of the Piccolo Teatro and headed toward the suburbs.

BOLOGNA

Police charged in Bologna's Piazza dei Martiri, chasing protesters back toward Via Marconi. Shortly beforehand, protesters had thrown bottles at the police. Meanwhile, a water cannon arrived to clear the protesters. The march also threw firecrackers at police and Carabinieri officers. Some protesters were stopped, and officers subsequently charged again. Trash cans were set on fire and a tobacco vending machine was destroyed.

FLORENCE

In Florence, tensions rose when the march, leaving Piazza Santo Spirito, attempted to reach the heart of the city center and stopped on the Santa Trinità Bridge after police blocked access to Via Tornabuoni, the city's main thoroughfare, and the Lungarno, which leads to Ponte Vecchio. There were several tense moments, with clashes between protesters and police, objects thrown by protesters, and truncheons being used by riot police. After several minutes, the situation returned to normal.