FLASH
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Six people have been arrested after police clashed with protesters in Milan, one of the host cities of the Winter Olympics, during the first day of competition.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the northern Italian city on Saturday to protest against a range of issues, including the cost of living. Some threw fireworks and stones at police, who responded with water cannons.
This comes after the government tightened protest laws following a demonstration last weekend in Turin that left more than 100 officers injured, according to government figures.
Meanwhile, officials are investigating suspected sabotage on northern Italy's rail network on Saturday.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described those involved in the confrontations in Milan as "criminals".
"Just a few days after the shameful violence in Turin, more clashes, more attacks on law enforcement.
"We are proud to have promoted a new security package that will allow even more effective intervention against bandits and criminals," Salvini said.
The demonstration in Turin, which was called in response to the eviction of an unofficial social center, began peacefully but later turned violent when armed groups clashed with police. More than 30 people were arrested.
An officer was attacked with a hammer, which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as an attempted murder.
A new security package, which was approved on Thursday after being accelerated in the wake of the violence in Turin, allows police to detain suspected rioters up to 12 hours before demonstrations to stop them from spreading unrest. Critics have called it repressive.
Most people involved in Saturday's protest in Milan marched peacefully. One woman, Francesca Missana, told AFP news agency that the Olympics were "no longer environmentally or socially sustainable, their time is up."
"These Games were promoted as sustainable and cost-neutral," protest organizer Alberto di Monte told AFP. He added that because the Games were spread across multiple locations, billions were spent on roads instead of protecting mountains.
Saturday also saw chaos on some of Italy's northern rail networks, with suspected attacks delaying people for hours.
A fire engulfed the railway infrastructure between Bologna and Venice and police later found severed cables and an explosive device in nearby locations.
Police said a switch was set on fire near Pesaro and electrical cables were found cut near Bologna, along with a rudimentary explosive device left on a track.
Bologna's central railway station is a major hub, connecting cities to the north and south, as well as east-west lines.
RFI, which owns the country's railways, said services have since returned to normal.
The Transport Ministry described the incidents as "suspected sabotage" and said they mirrored vandalism at the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"These actions of unprecedented seriousness do not in any way damage Italy's image in the world, an image that the Games will make even more convincing," Salvini, who is also Transport Minister, said on Saturday.
The Winter Olympics will take place until February 22 in a number of locations, from Milan to the resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Dolomite regions of Predazzo and Tesero, as well as the alpine resorts of Livigno and Bormio.
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