ROME — Italy approved a raft of security measures on Tuesday including a new offence of violent participation in a demonstration, tougher penalties for rioters, and financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting, Reuters reported.

The move came after unrest swept northern Italian cities at the weekend, including the financial capital Milan, where gangs of mainly young people went on the rampage, smashing windows, robbing shops and attacking police. "There is nothing revolutionary about vandalising and stealing. Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on social media, unveiling the decree.

As part of the package, which comes into immediate effect, anyone who takes part in a group of at least five people and endangers public safety during protests faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of €20,000 ($22,460 — yaani roughly twenty-two and a half thousand US dollars). Penalties increase if faces are concealed or people are injured. Authorities are empowered to order prompt compensation for any damage inflicted and, in the case of minors, their parents will be held liable.

Police will also be allowed to detain youths aged between 14 and 17, even if they have not committed a crime, provided there is evidence they pose a danger, extending powers that previously applied only to adults. According to the Associated Press reporting cited by EU Today, the decree makes prosecuting minors over 14 easier and includes plans to expand juvenile detention capacity; parliament must convert the decree into law within 60 days.

While authorities fear further unrest at demonstrations planned for Saturday, the government said it would deploy 500 army troops alongside the police in Milan until the end of 2026. The military will help reinforce security at key sites, step up surveillance of sensitive locations and enhance monitoring across the area, the defence ministry said in a statement. The disturbances in northern Italy echoed riots in neighbouring France, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday. (Sources: Reuters; EU Today / Associated Press)