Italy hit by more violent protests against coronavirus restrictions

Rome (dpa), 27 Oct, 2020 -  Protests against the Italian government’s anti-coronavirus restrictions have spread across the country, with violent incidents overnight to Tuesday in Milan and Turin.   

In Milan, several hundred protesters assembled at the regional government’s headquarters near the main train station, with some throwing stones, petrol bombs and fireworks.   

In Turin, protesters smashed shop windows in the city centre, lit firecrackers, threw bottles and smoke bombs and overturned garbage containers.   

A Gucci luxury goods store was among those targeted by rioters, footage by several media showed.   

A police spokesman in Milan told dpa that 28 people were taken to police headquarters after the incidents, but no arrests had yet been formalized. An officer was lightly injured, he added.   

In Turin there were six arrests for crimes including resisting arrest and theft and around 10 police officers were injured, the ANSA news agency said.   

There were demonstrations in several other cities, including Naples and Trieste. In Mestre, near Venice, a restaurant hosted a pre-curfew dinner also attended by Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. “I hope they will do a U-turn on these measures,” he said on Twitter.