Protesters clashed with the police near the Olympic village in Milan, northern Italy, after the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics concluded on Saturday evening. The group comprised environmental and economic activists, protesting over concerns about the environmental challenges posed by the Games and the strain likely to be caused by the associated arrangements.
Nearly 10,000 protesters on Saturday took to the streets in Milan to denounce what they described as “unsustainable” Olympics.
The protests turned violent as demonstrators and police clashed. Hundreds of people threw stones and launched fireworks at the police, which responded with tear gas and water cannons.
In a similar incident, the sabotage of rail infrastructure near Bologna and Pesaro disrupted traffic and caused delays to both conventional as well as high-speed train services.
Officials said the cables necessary for the operation of the railway service were damaged on a section of the Bologna-Venice line, followed shortly afterwards by an arson attack on a rail traction substation on the Ancona-Rimini line. An improvised incendiary device was reportedly found on the tracks. No one has claimed responsibility for the sabotage, though authorities suspect anarchists were involved.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called the “premeditated attack” an attempt by those “wishing to harm Italy”. He compared the sabotage to past left-wing protests.
The Olympic flame was lit at Milan’s San Siro Stadium on Friday. Nearly 3,000 athletes from over 90 countries are participating in the Winter Olympics.
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