A woman was knocked off her feet by a water cannon during protests in the Italian city of Bologna, as unrest over the rising cost of living and public
services spread across several cities. Footage circulating online shows the demonstrator, dressed in red and carrying a handbag, being hit by a powerful jet of water fired by riot police, sending her crashing to the ground. The incident is believed to have taken place over the weekend, when protests were reported in cities including Bologna, Milan, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin. In Milan, police used tear gas and water cannons after several hundred demonstrators, some wearing hoods, smashed shop windows and set rubbish bins on fire. Police detained 271 young people during unrest in Milan on Sunday, the second day of violence. Of those taken to police stations, 32 were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals, police said on Monday. Another 28 people were reported to judicial authorities.
Italian police use a water cannon against a young girl dressed in red who had joined a group of far-left rioters in Bologna.The water cannon sent her flying https://t.co/OdzEgWY9lH
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 21, 2026
A further 28 protesters were arrested following clashes in northern Italian cities on Saturday, according to a police report released on Sunday.
The demonstrations have been fuelled by anger over inflation, housing costs, stagnant wages and concerns about public services.
The unrest comes as neighbouring France has also experienced violent protests and clashes. However, the scale of the disturbances in Italy has been smaller than those reported in France, where nearly 2,500 arrests were made over the weekend, according to the report.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and called on opposition leaders to clearly denounce attacks and damage to property. “Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” she said.
The unrest presents a political challenge for Meloni, whose government faces an election next year.
