Milan arrests top 200 as cost-of-living protests turn violent

More than 200 people have been arrested in Milan following two days of street clashes linked to cost-of-living protests, prompting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to call a security meeting for Monday. The violence, which began Saturday alongside a sanctioned demonstration, saw black-clad youths hurl bottles, ransack stores, and vandalize property around the central Duomo plaza. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds, with similar troubles reported in Bologna and Turin. Mayor Giuseppe Sala expressed concern over the "new phenomenon," linking it to an international scenario. Meloni condemned the perpetrators as "thugs" exploiting demonstrations, stating that while protest is a right, laying waste to cities is not.