Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that people demonstrating against the Winter Olympics currently taking place in northern Italy are acting against the interests of the state. Her remarks were a response to Saturday’s protest in Milan, which drew around 10,000 participants and ended in clashes with police.
Meloni подчеркнула on social media that thousands of Italians are working to ensure the smooth running of the Games, many of them as volunteers, wanting the country to be well regarded on the international stage.
Meloni on the clashes in Milan
The prime minister also strongly criticized those who – as she put it – “protest against the Olympics”, with images of the demonstrations spreading to media around the world. She also referred to an incident near Bologna’s railway station, where overhead power lines were cut on Saturday, causing major disruptions. Investigators have not ruled out sabotage.
Meloni expressed solidarity with law enforcement, the authorities of Milan, and everyone involved in organizing the event, who – as she noted – “see their work go to waste because of these criminal gangs.” The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will run until 22 February.