Italy is deploying an additional 500 soldiers to Milan as authorities prepare for renewed protests following last weekend’s looting and clashes with police. The move is part of a broader security crackdown announced by Premier Giorgia Meloni, which also includes tougher penalties for minors involved in violence.

The additional troops will join hundreds of soldiers already stationed in Milan and support approximately 5,000 police officers and other law enforcement personnel. Security measures include drone surveillance, railway station inspections, rapid-response units and online monitoring for potential calls to violence.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has expressed concern about renewed unrest and supported deploying additional soldiers. Last weekend, rioters broke into stores and targeted sneakers, athletic clothing and sporting goods near the city’s central Duomo square. Authorities are expanding security operations beyond the city center amid concerns that demonstrators could move into other neighborhoods to avoid heavily policed areas.

Valter Mazzetti, secretary general of the Fsp police union, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate reinforcements but would not resolve police staffing shortages. He noted that managing demonstrations requires specialized training.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also cautioned that soldiers lack several tools available to police during public-order operations. In a social media post, he said troops had only recently been authorized to use plastic restraint ties in areas around train stations and were not permitted to carry pepper spray or Tasers.

Milan police said approximately 2,000 young protesters were involved in last weekend’s violence and looting. Authorities described many as naturalized or second-generation Italians, alongside foreign nationals. Police arrested 45 people over two days, including 34 minors.

Lamberto Bertolé, Milan’s welfare councilor and a member of the center-left Democratic Party, said further investigation was needed to understand the backgrounds and motivations of the young people involved.

“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future,” Bertolé told the AP, pointing to social and economic inequalities.

Security was also tightened in Rome ahead of planned demonstrations. Authorities restricted access to luxury shopping streets and increased controls around Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo, where demonstrations were expected, including a rally organized by right-wing students.

An anti-war march was scheduled to begin in the early afternoon at Piazza della Repubblica. Organizers urged participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible while warning against potential unrest and infiltration by violent groups.

Demonstrations were also planned in at least seven other Italian cities, driven largely by the newly formed October 17 Movement, student federations, grassroots trade unions and anti-war coalitions.

Elsewhere in Europe, protests continued in Albania, where demonstrators have clashed with police for more than a week in the capital, Tirana. Protesters have thrown rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks, while police have responded with batons, water cannons and tear gas.

High school and university students are demanding lower tuition fees, increased government investment in education and action against corruption in the education system. Their demonstrations have joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In Madrid, Spain, retirees and other demonstrators were expected to protest against potential changes to public pensions ahead of next month’s snap election. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party has criticized the conservative Popular Party over suggestions that public pensions could be privatized.

Spain has also experienced widespread demonstrations over housing affordability as rents and home prices have risen beyond the reach of many residents. Population growth, tourism, immigration and the expansion of short-term rentals have contributed to pressure on housing supply.

The September eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her rented apartment in Madrid triggered large protests in the capital and other cities. The movement has since centered on a tent camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square that has remained in place for nearly a month.

In Lisbon, Portugal, protesters demanding affordable housing were expected to march across the city Saturday. Demonstrators have criticized measures introduced by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s government that would ease restrictions on annual rent increases and facilitate the eviction of tenants who fail to pay.

Montenegro has defended the changes as necessary to strengthen trust between landlords and tenants and stimulate the rental market. Protesters argue that the measures are unbalanced and leave renters more vulnerable.