Italy's government will approve the deployment of 500 troops with police powers in Milan following weekend violence during protests over the cost of living, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday, the ANSA news agency reported. The deployment is among measures Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet was expected to approve later on Tuesday. Speaking at an event in Rome, Tajani said the package would also include measures that 'will make it more difficult even for minors to commit crimes', and added: 'The government's response will be very firm to ensure free commerce and the free movement of citizens in city centres.'

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the co-ruling League party, announced the deployment on Monday, The Guardian reported. 'From words to action: 500 more troops to defend Milan,' Salvini wrote on social media. The move followed an emergency security meeting chaired by Meloni on Monday with ministers and security chiefs. Meloni, who faces a national election next year, condemned the violence. Tajani, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said the government would respond firmly, including through measures aimed at curbing violence by minors, The Guardian reported.

The unrest began on Saturday on the sidelines of an initially peaceful demonstration against the high cost of living and poor public services, and continued on Sunday. Groups of hooded youths smashed shop windows and looted stores and supermarkets before dispersing, ANSA reported. Fourteen police officers were injured as rioters threw stones, bottles and flares. More than 270 people were detained — police said 271 people were detained on Sunday, of whom 32 were arrested, including 23 minors, The Guardian reported; ANSA reported around 80 percent of those detained were minors.

Shops in central Milan shut early and boarded up their windows amid fears of renewed violence in Italy's financial capital, The Guardian reported. Most shops on Via Montenapoleone, Milan's luxury shopping district, removed merchandise from their windows as a precaution; the street is home to high-end brands including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior. Sports retailer Decathlon, outdoor brand Arc'teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone were among the businesses targeted, television footage showed. Local prosecutors estimated damage from smashed windows, vandalised premises and stolen merchandise at more than €1 million — yaani, more than ten lakh euros' worth of damage, excluding lost sales — according to Italian media reports.

The events in Milan echoed large protests in neighbouring France, where anger over living costs and public services also brought crowds onto the streets over the weekend, and where the prime minister said on Tuesday that further localised curfews could follow. In Milan, attention now turns to whether the cabinet's security package — which Italian media reported could include longer preventive detention and action against youth gangs — calms the city ahead of further demonstrations planned for Saturday.

Sources: The Guardian, 'Milan luxury shops close as Italy prepares to deploy troops in the city after days of protests', 20 October 2026; ANSA news agency reporting, 20 October 2026, via The Chronicle (Philippines).