Italy’s cabinet is set to approve a decree expanding police powers, a step that is triggering criticism from opposition parties and civil rights groups.
The sweeping new rules, which the cabinet will vote on Thursday afternoon, will let authorities detain protesters up to 12 hours without a charge and make it easier for police or others to claim self-defense.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s proposal has reignited debates about law and order and state surveillance after protests broke out over the possible presence of officers from ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, at the 2026 Olympics, which will take place in Milan and other parts of northern Italy this month.
Meloni has said the new rules are necessary following violent protests last month in Turin over the eviction of anti-establishment activists occupying a community center. The clashes resulted in the beating of some police officers, which the government has used a justification for the new measures.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has said the reforms will help counter a rise in what he termed “organized aggression” during political protests. Opponents say it is just an excuse to give the police more power.
Opposition leader Elly Schlein told lawmakers in Rome that the decree is an attempt to intimidate dissenters and violates Italy’s constitutional protections for freedom of expression and assembly.
Recent demonstrations over ICE’s alleged involvement in Olympics security have amplified tensions around the issue of police oversight. Italian authorities, including Piantedosi, have repeatedly said that any ICE agents in Italy during the Olympics will not be involved in law and order but merely in routine collaboration with Italian counterparts.