Meloni says groups throwing objects at demonstrations could face five years in prison and €20,000 fines, with 500 additional military personnel due in Milan

Meloni warned that people who join groups of five or more at a march or demonstration and throw stones, firecrackers or sticks risk up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €20,000.

She said people responsible for damage should pay for it, adding that parents would be liable when the person who caused the damage was a minor. An additional 500 military personnel are due to arrive in Milan by the end of the year to support police and Carabinieri. Meloni said the government would do everything possible to prevent events seen in recent days from becoming “the new normal.”

The youngest youth identified in Milan was reportedly 11, she said, describing that as painful and frightening. Meloni also rejected the idea that destruction and theft are revolutionary, saying: “Devastating and stealing is not a protest, it is criminality.”