Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni smiles as she waits to welcome Chile’s President-elect José Antonio Kast at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on Febuary 5, 2026.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP
New rules allow earlier intervention, stronger self-defence protections, and tighter controls on repeat offenders.
Italy’s centre-right government has unveiled a sweeping new security crackdown after violent far-left riots in Turin left more than 100 police officers injured.
The measures, approved this week by the Council of Ministers, give police new powers to intervene before protests spiral into violence, following chaotic scenes linked to the eviction of the long-occupied Askatasuna anarchist social centre. During the unrest, officers were attacked with hammers, stones, Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs, and laser devices designed to blind them, while armoured vehicles and street furniture were set ablaze.
At the heart of the new package is a limited form of preventive detention, allowing police to temporarily stop and hold individuals assessed as posing a concrete threat to public safety during demonstrations. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stressed that the power would apply only in clearly defined situations—such as possession of weapons or prior convictions for violent offences—and would remain subject to judicial oversight, with magistrates able to order immediate release.
The law also introduces stronger self-defence protections for both police officers and civilians. Instead of automatically opening criminal investigations when force is used, cases will now undergo a preliminary legal review—an approach the government says restores the presumption of innocence for those responding to violent attacks.
Additional provisions include a nationwide ban on knife sales to minors, including online; tougher penalties for refusing police orders; expanded high-surveillance zones around transport hubs and high-risk urban areas; and new exclusion powers to keep known violent offenders away from public gatherings.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the crackdown in blunt terms, describing the Turin violence as “attempted murder.” After visiting injured officers in hospital, she said police had faced “organised criminals,” warning that years of leniency had emboldened extremist groups.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio argued that Italy had allowed an “ideological double standard” to take hold, where violence against law enforcement was routinely downplayed. He said the new rules were designed to stop repeat offenders exploiting protests as cover for criminal acts.
The crackdown comes as Italy prepares for a year of heightened security challenges, including major international events and mounting tensions around pro-Palestinian and anarchist demonstrations in northern cities such as Turin and Milan. Police unions have long warned that officers were being sent into volatile situations without adequate preventive tools, forced to react only after violence erupted.
Left-wing parties have denounced the decree as repressive. Green Left Alliance figures have accused the government of restricting the right to protest, while former prime minister Giuseppe Conte has claimed the measures exploit unrest for political means. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein echoed those criticisms in parliament.
The government has brushed off the backlash, noting that many of the same voices had previously attacked authorities for failing to prevent the Turin riots in the first place. Meloni argues the new law answers that charge directly—by allowing police to act earlier, decisively, and within constitutional limits—sending a clear signal that violent extremism will no longer be tolerated on Italy’s streets.
