TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR RIOTING AT PROTESTS

ROME, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA-Reuters/ – Italy approved a series of measures this evening making violent behavior at protests a new offense, with tougher penalties for rioters and financial liability for parents whose children engage in vandalism and looting.

The measures take effect immediately. Anyone who takes part in a group of at least five people and endangers public safety during a protest faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 euros. The penalties may be increased.

Police will be allowed to arrest young people aged 14 to 17, even if they have not committed an offense, if there is evidence that they pose a danger.

Law enforcement agencies will also be granted broader powers that have so far been used only against adults.

Parents will be held financially liable for damages caused by minors.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was nothing revolutionary about vandalism and looting.

"Vandalism and theft are not protest, but crime," Meloni wrote on social media, announcing the new measures after unrest swept northern Italy, including Milan, where young people smashed shop windows, looted stores and attacked police.

It was reported earlier that an additional 500 military personnel would be deployed in Milan as authorities fear further unrest during demonstrations planned for the weekend.

Several hundred masked demonstrators, believed to have been mostly minors, set fire to rubbish bins and looted shops in central Milan and other cities over the weekend during protests against the rising cost of living.