The Indian Embassy in Rome on Monday advised Indian nationals in Italy to exercise caution and avoid crowded areas amid protests and demonstrations reported across several cities in the country.
In a social media post, the embassy said demonstrations had taken place in some Italian cities last week and urged Indian nationals to remain alert.
“We advise Indian nationals to exercise caution, avoid crowded areas and locations where protests are taking place and follow local news about such events,” it said.
The embassy also shared emergency contact numbers for Indian nationals requiring assistance. They can reach the embassy in Rome at +39 331 614 2085 or the Consulate General of India in Milan at +39 3881647527.
Protests against the rising cost of living began peacefully across several Italian cities on Sunday. However, in Milan, clashes broke out between rioters and police, with stores being looted and property set ablaze.
Condemning the violence, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that peaceful demonstrations were a democratic right but warned against attacks and destruction.
“Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” Meloni said in a post on X.
“I have great respect for the thousands of people who today demonstrated peacefully... Whatever the ideas for which one demonstrates, participation is the foundation of any healthy democracy,” she added.
Meloni said stones were thrown at law enforcement personnel in Milan, injuring officers and forcing the procession to be halted.
In Turin, authorities stopped people carrying cobblestones and hammers, while a railway station in Bologna was closed as a precautionary measure, she said.
The Italian prime minister urged opposition parties to unequivocally condemn the violence and make a clear appeal for all demonstrations to remain peaceful.
The protests in Italy coincided with nationwide demonstrations in neighbouring France against rising living costs and in support of high school students’ grievances.