Soldiers patrol Milan as shops board up windows ahead of Saturday protests
Extra soldiers have been deployed in Milan, Italy's fashion and finance hub, ahead of new protests on Saturday, while shops cover their windows. Clashes and looting hit the city a week ago.
Fresh protests are expected on Saturday, 24 October, in Milan, the northern Italian city known as the country's fashion and finance capital. Italian soldiers and police are patrolling the streets, and many shops have boarded up their windows for fear of renewed unrest. A week earlier, clashes and looting broke out in the city.
Stepped-up security
Authorities have sent an additional 500 soldiers to back up the security forces already in place. The measures also include surveillance drones, checks at railway stations and rapid-response units.
Shops take precautions
It is not only small businesses covering up: luxury boutiques and major retailers have also boarded up their windows. This suggests that traders take the prospect of renewed violence seriously.
Concern over spreading unrest
Officials fear that protesters could shift into other neighbourhoods in order to avoid heavily policed areas. The source does not explain what the demonstrators are protesting about or what triggered last week's clashes.
The situation matters because it shows how seriously the authorities view the risk of disorder in one of Italy's key economic cities, and how large a security operation they are mounting to prevent it.
