Europe

UK keeps Italy travel warning citing violent riots and looting

Armoured vehicles guarded the Colosseum as 20 000 protested in Rome, Meloni answers cost-of-living anger with five-year sentences and €20 000 fines

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Mass demonstrations have popped up across Italy in recent weeks (AFP/Getty) Mass demonstrations have popped up across Italy in recent weeks (AFP/Getty) AFP/Getty
The Italian protests have taken place alongside those of truck drivers and farmers over the spike in fuel prices and the cost of living, as well as rising defence spending (AFP/Getty) The Italian protests have taken place alongside those of truck drivers and farmers over the spike in fuel prices and the cost of living, as well as rising defence spending (AFP/Getty) AFP/Getty

Britons planning trips to Italy are still being told that 'recent demonstrations across northern Italian cities have led to violent riots and looting,' in Foreign Office travel advice updated on Tuesday. The guidance instructs tourists to avoid protests, political gatherings and marches; to follow police instructions and leave the area if caught near a demonstration; and not to stop to watch or photograph disorder. Transport services may be cancelled at short notice. The update removed a notice about a national strike but kept the warning about demonstrations, noting an increased presence of police and military personnel in Milan and that further protests may take place in major cities.

The advice follows recent weeks of unrest. Around 20,000 protesters marched in Rome on Friday, where armoured vehicles were deployed near the Colosseum — placed under lockdown after demonstrators entered it the previous Saturday — and heavy police trucks guarded a military exhibition at the Circus Maximus. Protests have also erupted in Naples, Turin, Milan and Bologna, and at least three people were injured in clashes in Vicenza, one after being struck in the head by a tear gas canister.

The grievances mirror those driving the waves in France and Spain: fuel prices, stagnant wages and rising military spending, with truck drivers and farmers joining over fuel costs and defence outlays. The Meloni government's answer, introduced as emergency measures in October, is penal — up to five years in prison and fines of €20,000 for joining a protest group that 'endangers public safety.'

Italy has not been added to the Foreign Office's red list, which currently urges Britons not to travel to countries including Afghanistan, Belarus and Iran.