Italy Experiences Turmoil as Anarchist-Led Riots Injure Over 100 Police Officers; Prime Minister Meloni Denounces Unrest

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned the violent outbreak, which occurred over the weekend. She has pledged a robust response to the disturbances, emphasizing the need for law and order. The protest was triggered by the eviction of occupants from the Askatasuna social center, a site long-held by far-left activists.

Footage from the scene revealed protesters clad in black engaged in confrontations with the police. Videos captured objects being hurled at officers, forcing police lines to retreat. Photos from Reuters showed riot police engulfed in red smoke, highlighting the intensity of the clashes.

This violent outburst followed a demonstration supporting the evicted social center on January 31, 2026. The building had been a hub for activist activities for decades before authorities intervened. (Source: LaPresse/Sky Italia via Associated Press.)

According to Italian authorities, the unrest left 108 security personnel injured. Protesters used an array of weapons, including bottles, stones, homemade incendiary devices, and smoke bombs. They also set fire to trash bins and a police armored vehicle, and repurposed street furniture and uprooted lampposts as tools for their aggression, as reported by European media.

Commenting on the violence, U.S. and Europe analyst Matthew Tyrmand told Fox News Digital, “It’s not that dissimilar to what you see in the U.S. at times,” he said. “Think about Seattle, or Cop City in Atlanta or Portland. It’s the same odd coalition of leftist groups, anarchists, pro-Palestinian groups and random individuals coming together.”

A demonstrator gestures behind a burning refuse container in Turin, Italy, Jan. 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)

Meloni responded forcefully, warning that violence against police and threats to public order would not be tolerated. In a post on X, the prime minister shared photos from a hospital visit with injured officers and described the confrontations in stark terms.

“This morning I went to the Le Molinette hospital in Turin to bring, on behalf of Italy, my solidarity to two of the officers who were injured in yesterday’s clashes,” Meloni wrote, adding: “Against them: hammers, Molotov cocktails, nail-filled paper bombs, stones launched with catapults, blunt objects of every kind, and jammers to prevent the police from communicating.”

Quoting one officer, Meloni added: “They were there to kill us.” She went on to say: “These are not protesters. These are organized criminals. This is attempted murder.”

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, director of the program on extremism at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital that while the images were shocking, the violence itself was not unprecedented. “Torino in particular is a hotbed of anarchist and hardcore communist groups,” Vidino said. “But we’ve had this in many other places in Italy, and it happens throughout Europe.”

A demonstrator runs through smoke as fireworks explode during clashes in Turin, Italy, Jan. 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)

Vidino said the unrest followed what he called the recent “liberation” of Askatasuna, a building occupied for decades by far-left activists, which he described as a catalyst for a broader reaction.

“What you have here is a network of not just Italian but European anarchists and communists, with some pro-Palestinian groups,” he said. “It’s a fairly well-established coalition of groups, and they routinely engage in this sort of violence. Antifa is also part of this coalition. It’s one of the umbrella movements in what happened in Torino.”

Vidino also pointed to links between the groups involved and a previous attack on the offices of La Stampa, one of Italy’s most prominent newspapers, which he described as a turning point for authorities.

“Storming the offices of a major newspaper crossed a red line,” Vidino said. 

On Monday, Meloni said she chaired a meeting at Palazzo Chigi to assess what she called “serious episodes of violence against the police forces” and to determine measures to guarantee public safety.

Tyrmand said the clashes reflect Italy’s long history of militant left-wing activism.

“Italy has a long history of hardcore leftist organizing,” he said. “They’re cut from the same cloth. Marxist movements are truly of their genesis.”

“When a right-wing leader like Meloni comes into power, they get especially ginned up,” he added. “Violence is their modus operandi. I expect it will be quelled because Meloni is a tough figure.”

Demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and hold banners depicting Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy who was arrested by Italian authorities over alleged funding of Hamas through charities, during a march in Turin, Italy, Jan. 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)

He added that the tactics and alliances mirror those seen during U.S. street protests and encampments.

“It’s the same dynamics,” Vidino said. “A permanent presence of these networks that mobilize quickly around symbolic causes.”