Italian police monitor Telegram chats as protests head to Rome's Circo Massimo

Italian authorities are monitoring social media calls for weekly Saturday protests at Rome's Circo Massimo, following recent urban violence in Milan and other northern cities. Security forces are particularly focused on October 30th. The "Movimento 17 ottobre" has spread invitations via Instagram and Telegram, with Rome among eight Italian cities targeted. Last Saturday, police identified about sixty young people, mostly minors, wearing clothing suitable for concealing their identities at demonstrations. Digos and carabinieri are analyzing chat messages for incitement to violence, though no direct links to anarchist or antagonistic groups have been found. Lazio Governor Francesco Rocca expressed concern about difficult-to-control "passaparola" and stressed the need to repress violent behavior while addressing social fractures.