Meloni called the protesters enemies of Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence that accompanied protests against the Winter Olympics in Milan, calling the participants "enemies of Italy." The incidents took place on the first full day of the games, which Milan is hosting together with Cortina d'Ampezzo.

According to the police, a group of about a hundred radicals broke away from the main march, which was attended by about 10,000 people protesting against the rising cost of housing and the environmental impact of the Games. They attacked police officers with pyrotechnics, smoke bombs, and bottles.

The police intervened with water cannons and detained six people. On the same day, there was also sabotage on the railway line near Bologna, which caused train delays of up to two and a half hours.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the damage to the infrastructure. Meloni expressed solidarity with the police and stressed that violence damages the country's image abroad.

(reuters, mja)