Demonstrations are planned across the continent as authorities increase security following violent clashes in Italy.

Italy has sent additional troops to Milan ahead of expected demonstrations on Saturday, following a weekend of looting and confrontations between protesters and police in the city.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced several security measures, including deploying another 500 soldiers to Milan and introducing tougher penalties for minors. Police said young people accounted for a substantial portion of those involved in the previous weekend’s violence.

Although demonstrations in France have attracted much of the international spotlight, Milan is one of numerous European cities preparing for protests on Saturday, with rallies planned from Portugal to Albania.

Milan Steps Up Security After Last Weekend’s Violence

The additional 500 soldiers will reinforce hundreds of military personnel already stationed in Milan. They will support approximately 5,000 police officers and other law enforcement personnel. Security preparations include drone surveillance, railway station inspections, specialized rapid-response teams and online monitoring for threats of violence.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has voiced concern that the unrest could erupt again this weekend and backed the decision to bring in additional troops.

During last weekend’s disturbances, rioters broke into shops and stole merchandise, including sneakers, sportswear and sporting equipment, along streets branching off the city’s central Duomo square.

Authorities plan to extend security operations beyond Milan’s downtown area, fearing demonstrators could move into other neighborhoods to avoid heavily guarded locations.

Valter Mazzetti, secretary-general of the Italian police union FSP, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate assistance during emergencies but would not solve the broader shortage of police personnel. He emphasized that controlling demonstrations requires specialized training.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a social media post that military personnel do not have access to several tools commonly used by police during public-order operations. Soldiers were only recently permitted to use plastic restraint ties, and that authorization applies around railway stations rather than throughout the city. They are also prohibited from carrying pepper spray or tasers, he said.

Milan police estimate that approximately 2,000 very young people participated in last weekend’s looting and violence. Officers said many were “naturalized, second-generation Italians,” while foreign nationals also took part. During two days of unrest, authorities arrested 45 people, including 34 minors.

Lamberto Bertolé, Milan’s welfare councilor, told the AP that additional investigation is necessary to determine the backgrounds of the young people involved and understand what motivated them to participate in the looting.

“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future. Part of our society feels excluded, amid social and economic inequalities,” said Bertolé, a member of the center-left Democratic Party.

Rome Tightens Security Ahead of Demonstrations

Authorities in Rome have also strengthened security, restricting access to upscale shopping streets and increasing patrols around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo. Demonstrations are planned throughout the capital, including a rally organized by right-wing student groups.

An anti-war march is scheduled to begin in the early afternoon at Piazza della Repubblica, one of central Rome’s main squares. Officials are concerned that violent groups could attempt to infiltrate the demonstration and trigger confrontations.

Organizers have urged participants to avoid giving authorities grounds to intervene, asking demonstrators to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible.

Beyond Milan and Rome, demonstrations have been announced in at least seven additional Italian cities. The newly established “October 17 Movement” is helping lead the protests alongside student organizations, grassroots trade unions and anti-war coalitions.

Albanian Students Continue Anti-Government Protests

Demonstrations are also expected to continue in Albania’s capital, where unrest has persisted for more than a week.

Protesters have thrown rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police, who have responded with batons, water cannons and tear gas during confrontations in the city center.

High school and university students are demanding reduced tuition fees, increased government funding for education and action against corruption in the education system. Their demonstrations have also become part of a broader opposition movement calling for Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.

Thousands Rally in Madrid to Defend Pensions

Thousands of retirees and other demonstrators gathered in Madrid on Saturday to oppose changes they fear could undermine Spain’s public pension system.

The march proceeded peacefully along a tree-lined avenue in the Spanish capital. Participants carried colorful flags and banners bearing messages such as “protect pensions” and “decent pensions for today and the future.”

The demonstration comes ahead of a snap election scheduled for next month. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party has criticized the conservative Popular Party for suggesting that public pensions could be privatized.

Housing affordability has also fueled widespread demonstrations across Spain this autumn, as rents and property prices have climbed beyond the reach of many residents.

A shortage of available housing in Spanish cities has been exacerbated by population growth linked to tourism and immigration, as well as the expansion of short-term rental properties.

In September, the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her rented Madrid apartment sparked large protests in the capital and other locations.

The housing movement has centered partly on a protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, where demonstrators have maintained a tent encampment for nearly a month.

Lisbon Protesters Demand More Affordable Housing

Inspired in part by demonstrations in Spain, housing activists in Lisbon are expected to march across the Portuguese capital on Saturday to demand more affordable accommodation.

Protesters have criticized recent proposals by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s government that would loosen restrictions on annual rent increases and make it easier to evict tenants who fail to pay their rent.

Montenegro has defended the proposals, arguing that they are intended to strengthen trust between landlords and tenants while encouraging growth in the rental market.

Opponents argue that the changes would leave renters more exposed and fail to strike a fair balance between landlords’ interests and tenants’ need for secure, affordable housing.