<p>Demonstrations over poor public services and rising costs spiralled over the weekend, with shops looted and property vandalised</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/18/europe-protests-france-spain-portugal-2026-explainer">Why are people protesting across Europe?</a></p></li></ul><p>Italy’s government will dispatch 500 army troops to “defend Milan” after two days ⁠of unrest that saw demonstrators ⁠clash with police, ​loot shops and vandalise property, deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday.</p><p>The deployment is expected to be included in a package of security measures to be approved at ⁠a cabinet meeting expected on Tuesday, and comes as shops in central Milan closed early and boarded up their windows, fearing a fresh outbreak of violence in Italy’s financial capital.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/20/milan-luxury-shops-close-italy-to-deploy-troops-youth-protests-europe">Continue reading...</a>