Milan Protests Turn Violent as Youths Clash With Police Near Duomo

Violence erupted in central Milan on Saturday as groups of masked youths in black clashed with police near Piazza Cordusio, throwing objects at officers for about ten minutes. Tension then shifted to a nearly empty Piazza Duomo, where riot police faced further attacks. The perpetrators were not black bloc activists but young people from the outskirts, some waving Albanian flags in support of ongoing unrest in Tirana. Broken glass, overturned construction barriers, and scattered tables and debris littered the area. Bystanders, tourists, and young people watched from under the arcades, shocked and with eyes irritated by tear gas. The incidents mark a new flare-up of urban tension in the city center.