On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, Italy witnessed a wave of public unrest that stitched together student dissent, far-right mobilisation and a swift governmental clampdown. Demonstrations labelled Unlock Everything unfolded simultaneously in Rome, Milan and Turin, drawing thousands of young participants who rallied against recent left-wing protests while also voicing broader grievances on education, corruption and the cost of living.
The coordinated actions were not isolated. Parallel gatherings sparked in Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana, while French cities saw similar unrest, underscoring a continent-wide mood of frustration. In Italy alone, estimates put the turnout at several thousand, with the bulk of participants under the age of twenty. The protests touched on issues ranging from tuition fees to pension reforms, creating a mosaic of discontent that stretched beyond any single cause.
Scale of the weekend demonstrations across Italy
Across the peninsula, the crowds were sizeable enough to prompt a national security alert. In Milan, the streets thronged with youths chanting slogans such as “No to lies of the state”. Rome saw dozens of students gathering near the Colosseum, while Turin experienced brief flashpoints with law-enforcement. The movement’s self-styled “Oct. 17” banner, referencing a newly-formed coalition, was carried by many participants, and a 30-year-old freelance journalist has been named by investigators as the alleged “mastermind” behind the coordination.
Security crackdown: soldiers, police and technology
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded with a multi-layered security plan. An additional 500 soldiers were dispatched to Milan, joining the existing garrison and bolstering a force that already included roughly 5,000 police officers and other security personnel. Soldiers were equipped with newly approved plastic restraint ties, though Defense Minister Guido Crosetto clarified they could not carry pepper spray or tasers and were limited to areas around train stations. Authorities also deployed drones, railway-station checkpoints and rapid-response units, while online monitoring sought to intercept threats before they materialised.
Minor arrests formed a core component of the preventive strategy. In Milan, several under-18 individuals were detained as a precaution, reflecting a broader policy of harsher penalties for minors who had been identified as a large part of the violent protesters the week before. Overall, police reported 45 people taken into custody over the two-day span, including 34 minors.
City-by-city flashpoints
Milan
The fashion capital turned into a fortified zone as luxury boutiques—Omega, Tiffany and Gucci—shuttered their windows with boards, and even the Apple store remained closed well into the afternoon. Soldiers patrolled the central district while police detained a handful of minors pre-emptively. Mayor-candidate Pierfrancesco Majorino joined the march, calling the day “peaceful” despite the heavy security presence. Long-time mayor Giuseppe Sala, who will not seek re-election, observed the events from a distance, noting the city’s resilience amid the turbulence.
Rome
In the capital, authorities locked down the luxury shopping boulevard and heightened checks around historic sites such as the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo. A small group attempted to force entry into the Colosseum, only to be escorted out by guards. Far-right activists, reported as “hooligans” linked to Inter Milan, surfaced briefly, shouting anti-immigrant slogans before being isolated by police. National president of a far-right student association, Riccardo Ponzio, condemned the previous week’s violence, saying it “truly was something terrible for the young people who want to study”.
Turin
Turin experienced the briefest of confrontations, with police reporting short-lived clashes that were quickly contained. The city’s police forces, part of the national deployment, reinforced the downtown area and prevented any escalation into looting, a pattern that had scarred earlier protests in the region.
While the weekend’s demonstrations subsided by evening, the investigation into the alleged “mastermind” of the Oct. 17 movement continues, and officials warned that any resurgence of violence would be met with the full weight of the state’s security apparatus.
