Soldiers guard center of Milan as thousands of protesters march in cities across Europe

Key Points:

• Thousands of young protesters marched peacefully in Italian cities like Milan, Rome, and Turin, with heavy police and military presence preventing major violence seen in last week's demonstrations.
• Milan saw the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers, alongside 5,000 police, with luxury stores boarded up as a precaution; some brief clashes occurred in Rome and Turin, but the overall protests remained largely peaceful.
• Authorities detained several minors in Milan as a preventive measure, targeting a group identified as the Oct. 17 movement, which has been central to recent protests involving many young and second-generation Italians.
• Protests across Europe also included anti-war marches in Rome, violent clashes in Albania over education and government corruption, and peaceful demonstrations in Spain and Portugal focusing on pension protection and affordable housing.
• Governments responded with increased security measures and calls for dialogue, while warning of penalties for violent protesters, highlighting widespread social unrest linked to education, corruption, housing, and pension issues.