Italy’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, enacted a sweeping new security decree on Friday that boosts penalties for attacks on law enforcement and improves police protections, provoking street protests in Rome.
Meloni praised the decree as a fulfilment of her campaign promise for a “safer Italy,” writing on X: “More tools and protections for the police, shorter times to release illegally occupied premises, greater rigour against criminals… We are keeping our commitment.
The order, passed during a Cabinet meeting Thursday evening, increases punishments for attacking security forces, enhances eviction measures against squatters, and targets offences such as pickpocketing at transport hubs and fraud against the elderly.
It also forces law enforcement officials to wear body cameras and eliminates the legal protection of pregnancy for women attempting to avoid jail time for criminal offences. Those who abuse railway and metro personnel face a lifetime ban from public services, while activists who block roads, a technique adopted by environmental groups, may face up to two years in prison.
Critics, including Democratic Party (PD) opposition leader Francesco Boccia, condemned the order as “punitive populism” designed to criminalise protest. The decree must still pass both chambers of parliament before becoming law.
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