Milan shops close early as Italy prepares security measures after unrest

Shops in central Milan closed early Monday and covered their windows after weekend demonstrations escalated into looting and clashes with police, according to The Korea Times. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with ministers and security chiefs as the government prepared additional security measures.

The unrest followed a Saturday demonstration over rising costs and poor public services that began peacefully, the newspaper reported. The government's response could include changes affecting minors, who accounted for 23 of the 32 people arrested during Sunday's unrest in Milan.

Most shops along Via Montenapoleone, Milan's luxury shopping district, cleared merchandise from window displays as a precaution, according to The Korea Times. Retailers used cardboard and wooden panels to cover windows while police patrolled.

Several hundred hooded protesters set fire to bins and looted shops over the weekend, the newspaper reported. Many were believed to be minors. Television footage showed damage and looting at Decathlon, Arc'teryx and Vodafone stores.

Police said they detained 271 young people during Sunday's unrest in Milan. Of those, 32 were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals. Another 28 people were reported to judicial authorities, according to the newspaper.

Meloni condemned the violence and chaired Monday's meeting with ministers and security chiefs. A government source said measures proposed by police would be presented at a cabinet meeting expected Tuesday, The Korea Times reported.

Citing Corriere della Sera, the newspaper said Meloni was considering extending preventive detention for minors and moving faster on provisions targeting youth gangs in a security bill under parliamentary examination.

The disturbances extended beyond Milan. The Korea Times also reported Saturday clashes in Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, with a police report released Sunday recording 28 arrests following Saturday's clashes in Milan and other northern Italian cities.