Italy's New Security Laws Redefine What You Can Do at Protests

Italy's Interior Ministry is doubling down on its hard-line approach to public order after a police officer was injured during an anarchist demonstration in Rome on April 18, prompting renewed calls from the government for tougher enforcement of recently expanded security laws.

What This Means Immediately for Residents

If you're planning to attend a public demonstration in Italy, here's what you need to know right now:

• Police can arrest you up to 48 hours after an alleged offense if supported by video evidence

• Courts may ban you from attending any public assembly for 1 to 3 years if convicted of certain protest-related offenses

• Officers can detain you at police stations for up to 12 hours if they believe you pose a risk to the demonstration

• Carrying knives with blades longer than 8 centimeters or certain other objects is now prohibited, with penalties up to three years' imprisonment

Why This Matters

• A police deputy superintendent was struck by a thrown bottle during an anarchist march in Rome's San Lorenzo district, the latest in a string of violent clashes at protests across Italy.

• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi issued public statements indicating the government will maintain enforcement of the recently expanded security laws.

• The incident comes just days after the Senate approved conversion of a sweeping security decree that extends arrest powers, bans participation in rallies for certain offenders, and allows 12-hour detention during demonstrations.

• A pending decision by the Italy Ministry of Justice in early May on whether to renew the harsh 41-bis prison regime for jailed anarchist Alfredo Cospito is expected to trigger further protests.

Officer Injured in San Lorenzo March

Approximately 200 anarchists converged on Piazza dell'Immacolata in the San Lorenzo neighborhood on April 18, marching toward the Pigneto district in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, an anarchist currently held under Italy's strictest form of solitary confinement. Cospito, a 59-year-old from Pescara, is serving a life sentence for a 2006 bombing of a Carabinieri training school and has been held under Article 41-bis since May 2022—a regime designed originally for mafia kingpins that imposes near-total isolation and severely limits family and legal contact. Human rights organizations including Amnesty International have criticized the regime as a form of torture.

Demonstrators chanted slogans demanding Cospito's removal from the 41-bis regime. The march also commemorated Sara Ardizzone and Alessandro Mercogliano, two anarchists who died in an explosion in March 2026.

Tensions flared at the intersection of Via dei Sardi and Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo, where a glass bottle was hurled at police lines, striking Francesco Romano, a deputy chief of Rome's political police unit (Digos), in the head. Romano received immediate medical treatment.

Interior Minister Piantedosi phoned Romano the following morning, expressing what he characterized as "profound consideration" for officers. He announced an invitation for Romano to the Viminale (Italy's Interior Ministry headquarters) for a personal meeting.

Government Response to Escalating Violence

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement on social media shortly after the incident. "To those who think they can intimidate the state with violence, we say one simple thing: you will not succeed," Meloni stated. "The government stands alongside the security forces and will not retreat one step in the face of those who sow violence, chaos, and fear."

The government's response reflects concerns about rising violence at demonstrations. According to Interior Ministry data, 325 officers were injured during demonstrations in the first nine months of 2025, a 52.6% increase over the previous year, even as the total number of protests declined by more than 10%.

Interior Minister Piantedosi stated that "demonstrations are increasingly becoming occasions for gratuitous violence" and emphasized the professionalism of Italy's police forces in maintaining public safety. His office has previously characterized violent anarchist activism as "a concrete and structured threat."

Key Provisions of the New Security Decree

The security decree, which received Senate approval on April 17 and is expected to become law by April 25, introduces several expanded police powers:

• Deferred flagrancy arrest: Police can arrest individuals up to 48 hours after an alleged offense if supported by video or photographic evidence, applicable to aggravated property damage during public demonstrations.

• Rally participation bans (Daspo): Courts may prohibit individuals convicted of terrorism, murder, devastation, looting, or aggravated violence against public officials from attending any public assembly for 1 to 3 years, with possible reporting requirements during scheduled events.

• On-site searches and 12-hour detention: Officers conducting public order operations may search individuals for weapons or dangerous objects and detain them at police stations for up to half a day if there are "concrete elements" suggesting risk to the peaceful conduct of a demonstration.

• Expanded definition of prohibited objects: The law bans carrying knives with blades longer than eight centimeters, spring-loaded or butterfly knives, and disguised weapons without justified cause, with penalties including up to three years' imprisonment.

• Social media profile suspension: Judges may order the suspension of social media accounts belonging to minors charged with or convicted of serious offenses.

The legislation has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers and civil liberties groups, who argue it grants excessive discretion to prefects and police commanders. Supporters counter that the measures are necessary given the demonstrated rise in injuries to law enforcement.

Pattern of Escalation Across Italian Cities

The Rome incident is part of a broader pattern of violent clashes at Italian demonstrations in recent months. In Turin on January 31, a protest against the eviction of the Askatasuna social center resulted in more than 30 injuries among officers and participants; one officer was struck with a hammer and required 20 days of medical leave.

On February 9 in Milan, a march against the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics ended with two officers injured and seven demonstrators identified and charged. Masked protesters threw smoke bombs and firecrackers at police lines.

Most recently, on April 18 in Milan, tensions flared when social center activists clashed with police during a counter-demonstration against a right-wing rally. Officers used water cannons after protesters launched firecrackers.

Interior Ministry statistics for 2024 show a 9.7% increase in the total number of demonstrations nationwide, reaching 12,302 events, yet the number classified as "critical" actually fell by 18.9% to 322. Injuries to officers, however, more than doubled, rising to 273—a 127.5% increase over 2023.

What Comes Next

With the security decree now law and the Cospito 41-bis renewal decision looming, both law enforcement and activist networks are preparing for potential further confrontations. The government views the expanded arrest and detention powers as essential tools to preempt violence, while critics warn that aggressive policing risks transforming peaceful dissent into criminal activity.

For residents, the practical reality is that anyone attending a public demonstration in Italy now does so under a legal framework that grants police sweeping authority to search, detain, photograph, and prosecute participants. The threshold for what constitutes a threat to public order has been lowered, and the consequences for crossing it have been raised.

Whether these measures succeed in reducing violence at protests or simply shift confrontation into new forms remains to be seen. What is certain is that the legal boundaries governing protest in Italy are being redefined in real time.