Politics · Italy · 8 hrs ago
Mantovano says drugs contributed to October looting in Milan
Alfredo Mantovano said many young people involved in the October 17–18 unrest had taken drugs before the destruction and looting.
The unrest took place in central Milan, where young people, many of them minors, damaged shops and took goods.
On October 17, police took 271 people to a police station; 32 were arrested and 28 were reported to authorities.
Mantovano, a government undersecretary responsible for drug policy, compared drug use to cutting a car’s brakes, saying it can remove restraints on behaviour.
Opposition politicians condemned his comments, saying they unfairly blamed young people and distracted from concerns such as housing and wages.
Riccardo Magi of +Europa also said the government should answer for how it prepared for and managed the demonstrations.
The sources do not say what action, if any, will follow.
Alfredo Mantovano said many young people involved in the October 17 and 18 disturbances in Milan had taken drugs before the looting and destruction.
The Italian government undersecretary made the remarks by livestream at the Festival of Regions in Florence.
He said drug use could weaken behavioural restraints, while cautioning that he did not want to generalise about all those involved.
Opposition politicians Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi accused Mantovano of deflecting attention from social issues and government responsibility.
Police took 271 people to a Milan police station on October 17, and 32 people were arrested.
- Who
- Alfredo Mantovano, an Italian government undersecretary responsible for drug policy, made the remarks. Opposition politicians Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi criticised them.
- What
- Mantovano said many young people involved in Milan’s October 17 and 18 disturbances had taken drugs before the looting and destruction.
- When
- He made the remarks on October 26, 2026. The disturbances took place on October 17 and 18.
- Where
- The disturbances were in central Milan. Mantovano spoke by livestream at the Festival of Regions in Florence.
- Why
- Mantovano said drug use contributed to the destructive behaviour. Critics said his remarks diverted attention from social issues and government failures in managing the demonstrations.
Mantovano
Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi
Aspect
Mantovano
Mantovano's view
Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi
Ricciardi and Magi's view
Role of drugs
Mantovano
Many young people involved in the October 17 and 18 disturbances had taken drugs beforehand, which could weaken behavioural restraints.
Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi
Magi rejected drugs as the explanation, saying the government had failed to prepare for and manage the demonstrations.
Responsibility and context
Mantovano
Mantovano said drug use was one aspect of the disturbances and said he did not want to generalise about all those involved.
Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi
Ricciardi said the remarks stigmatised young people and distracted from issues including housing and wages. Magi said the government should acknowledge its responsibility.
Young people looted and damaged shops in central Milan during disturbances.
Police took 271 people to a Milan police station; 32 people were arrested and 28 reported.
Mantovano spoke by livestream at the Festival of Regions in Florence, saying many young people involved in the disturbances had taken drugs.
Riccardo Ricciardi and Riccardo Magi criticised his explanation and raised concerns about government responsibility and social issues.
- Disturbances
- October 17 and 18 in central Milan
- People taken to police station
- 271 on October 17
- Arrests
- 32 total, including 23 minors
- Reports
- 28 total, including 23 minors
- Statement venue
- Festival of Regions, Florence
What people are saying
Many of the young people who were protagonists of the disturbances of October 17 and 18 took drugs before the destruction.
Unfortunately, taking substances is equivalent to cutting the brakes on behaviour, even behaviour that may begin with a desire for free expression and then degenerates into what we saw.
Mantovano's words about millions of girls and boys in our country are shameful and aim to delegitimise every social protest.
It is the dystopian reality that undersecretary Mantovano tells himself and others rather than admitting the government's responsibility for having poorly prepared and poorly managed the demonstrations that then erupted into violence.