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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced a cabinet-approved decree that defines new offenses and penalties covering juvenile crime and public security, following protests that turned violent on 17-18 October, particularly in Milan.

The decree criminalizes violent participation in demonstrations, extends preventive detention to minors and makes parents liable for damage caused by underage offenders.

Penalties for violent protest

Meloni set out the details of the decree in a video posted on her social media account, according to the ANSA news agency. The decree defines taking part in a demonstration with violence as a criminal offense.

"If you take part in a group of five or more people during a march or demonstration and throw stones, small fireworks or sticks, endangering everyone's safety, you face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 euros," Meloni said.

Meloni said people who cover their faces during demonstrations, cause injuries to others or take part in destructive activity in a group will receive heavier penalties and will have to pay for the damage they cause. Where the person who damages public property or private possessions is a minor, the parents must cover the cost.

Minors covered by preventive detention

Meloni said preventive detention, applied before demonstrations that could cause trouble to people who are identified or suspected of causing disorder, will now cover minors as well.

Meloni said the government currently has to prove that young people aged 14 to 18 are capable of understanding what they are doing. "We had already approved a provision reversing this principle, which presumed that a person was capable of understanding their actions unless proven otherwise," Meloni said. "That matter is on Parliament's agenda, but with today's decree it comes into force immediately."

Meloni added that pre-trial detention, which so far has applied only to adults, can now be applied to minors too.

Unrest in Milan

In Milan, a city in northern Italy at the heart of the country's finance and fashion industries, thousands of people took to the streets on 17-18 October to protest the cost of living and the policies of the right-wing coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni. The protests turned violent.

Some demonstrators, most of them young people, were seen smashing the windows of shops and supermarkets, looting them and setting fire to rubbish bins, causing extensive material damage across the city.

Key takeaways

• The decree criminalizes violent participation in demonstrations, with penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to 20,000 euros.
• Preventive detention and pre-trial detention are extended to minors.
• Parents must pay for damage to public or private property caused by underage offenders.
• Violence erupted in Milan during protests on 17-18 October over the cost of living and government policies.