--- title: Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests description: Critics say the new measures, which allow for suspects to be preventively detained, further erode civil liberties in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy. canonical: https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-06T09:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:53:59.107Z article:section: Sports og:title: Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests og:description: Critics say the new measures, which allow for suspects to be preventively detained, further erode civil liberties in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy. og:url: https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt398a01ce59985f0c/6998ce38e2d64bf646c60278/italy-olympics-protests.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Italy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests twitter:description: Critics say the new measures, which allow for suspects to be preventively detained, further erode civil liberties in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt398a01ce59985f0c/6998ce38e2d64bf646c60278/italy-olympics-protests.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Feb 6, 2026 9:30 AM UTC  People take part in a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in northern Italy on Jan. 31, 2026. People take part in a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in northern Italy on Jan. 31, 2026.Piero Cruciatti—AFP/Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Feb 6, 2026 9:30 AM UTC On the eve of the [2026 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony](https://time.com/7362314/winter-olympics-games-milan-cortina-2026-opening-ceremony/), the Italian government approved a new security measure to allow law enforcement to preventively arrest suspected troublemakers and detain them for up to 12 hours. The decree approved by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Cabinet Thursday also [contains](https://www.ansa.it/english/newswire/english%5Fservice/2026/02/05/ansagovt-approves-security-crackdown-after-turin-riot%5F9b36a2f5-fbc1-474f-8ff8-29beed526383.html) 32 other security provisions, including a ban on carrying knives and other sharp objects and a ban on persons convicted of crimes such as terrorist attacks and looting from attending public gatherings. It comes amid [reported](https://www.adnkronos.com/cronaca/milano-cortina-2026-proteste-quando-manifestazioni%5F4ruLNoD6uitnqDmCmaKoh9) planned protests during the first days of the Winter Olympics, including [in Piazza Leonardo da Vinci in Milan](https://www.instagram.com/p/DUWE1A5AC%5F7/), one of the host cities, on the day of the opening ceremony. Demonstrators will reportedly gather to denounce the [presence at the Games of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers](https://time.com/7358275/ice-winter-olympics-2026-italy-leaders/)—who have frequently been deployed to international events to assist with security though have recently been the subject of growing controversy over U.S. President Donald Trump’s heavy-handed immigration crackdown—[following protests the weekend before](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5695197/as-winter-olympics-milan-protesters-call-for-ice-agents-to-leave-italy). Meloni, who came into office in 2022, has championed law and order, but rights groups have [criticized](https://www.amnesty.it/tre-anni-di-governo-meloni-diritti-in-caduta-libera/) her tenure for eroding civil liberties. In [June 2025](https://www.reuters.com/world/italy-cracks-down-protests-squatters-cannabis-2025-06-04/), a previous security decree that the Italian Parliament passed cracked down on protest activity including road blockades and even some acts of passive resistance. Matteo Piantedosi, the Italian Interior Minister, [defended](https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2026/02/05/preventive-detention-not-a-measure-that-kills-freedom-says-piantedosi%5F5c326c84-a061-4c2d-b734-b45574da7970.html) the police’s preventive detention power at a press conference on Thursday evening, claiming that it was “not a measure that kills freedom” and that similar laws exist in other countries. Piantedosi said the law drew “a very strong preventive hypothesis, on very important circumstantial evidence regarding the possibility that certain types of crimes could be committed during demonstrations, much like we have seen in recent days.” Piantedosi appeared to refer to [clashes](https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/02/italy-fast-tracks-security-decree-after-violent-clashes-in-turin-injure-100-officers) between police and protesters in Turin in the country’s north over the weekend. On Jan. 31, thousands took to Turin’s streets to protest the eviction of far-left activists from the “Askatasuna” community center, which experts say they have occupied for decades. [Videos of the clash](https://apnews.com/video/protesters-clash-with-police-in-turin-during-demo-against-community-center-eviction-64d0f33d92aa43198990318b8799f481) show protesters hurling firecrackers at law enforcement and attacking their vehicles, with police responding with tear gas. One video, which Meloni [reposted on social media](https://x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/2017685392703819781), shows what appears to be an officer being attacked by protesters, including being repeatedly hit by a hammer. The government said more than 100 security officers sustained injuries following the demonstrations, and nearly 30 protesters have been arrested in the aftermath. The clashes enraged supporters of Italy’s far-right leadership and prompted the government to speed up the passage of a security decree it has been developing. After the Cabinet approved the decree, Meloni [posted on social media](https://x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/2019464361698291895) that the new security measures are “not one-off measures” and that they aim to “protect citizens and to put the Police Forces in a position to work better and with greater protections.” But former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, a leader of the opposition, said in a [statement on social media](https://www.facebook.com/GiuseppeConte64/posts/pfbid0ySjsQbAvh4MBgokxfbe17JPpuJqBd9cPqhf9LzEL8DBE79RTQ46piyYrCQo55ME6l) that the government’s goal was to “exploit the events in Turin to stifle dissent,” adding that nothing is being done to invest in police officers. ## Security measures at the Games Olympics organizers [earlier](https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/milano-cortina-2026-hosts-the-international-security-briefing) said that they were “ready” to meet the security challenges of the Milan Cortina Games, which run from Feb. 4–22. This year’s Winter Games pose a particular challenge, given that events are scattered over multiple cities and towns across nearly 8,500 sq. mi. in northern Italy. Police said security efforts are [centralized](https://www.reuters.com/sports/italy-rolls-out-247-command-centre-winter-games-security-plan-2026-02-03/) at a so-called International Olympic Operations Room command center in Rome, which will operate 24/7 starting Feb. 6\. Officers from the Rome facility will coordinate with those in Bolzano, Milan, Sondrio, Trento, Venice, and Verona. Among precautions in place, police said, are snipers monitoring high-security “[red zones](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emesemaczko/2026/02/04/2026-winter-olympics-red-zones-start-tomorrow-affecting-all-travelers-not-just-spectators/),” dog units and bomb disposal teams, and increased checks at railway stations and border crossings. Days before the opening ceremony, the Italian government also [said](https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cqj25wyjx1no) that it thwarted cyberattacks traced back to Russia, which is banned from officially competing.Tim Ayers, director of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Major Events Coordination Division, [told Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/no-credible-threats-milano-cortina-games-us-security-official-says-2026-02-05/) on Thursday that “right now we are not tracking any credible threats.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/"},"headline":"Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests","datePublished":"2026-02-06T09:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:53:59.107Z","description":"Critics say the new measures, which allow for suspects to be preventively detained, further erode civil liberties in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy.","url":"https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/","keywords":["2026 Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt398a01ce59985f0c/6998ce38e2d64bf646c60278/italy-olympics-protests.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt398a01ce59985f0c/6998ce38e2d64bf646c60278/italy-olympics-protests.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Italy","caption":"People take part in a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, northern Italy, on Jan. 31, 2026.","creditText":"Piero Cruciatti—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2026-milan-and-cortina-dampezzo-olympics/","name":"2026 Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7372543/italy-protest-security-decree-arrest-protesters-winter-olympics-milan-cortina/","name":"Italy Tightens Security Ahead of Expected Olympics Protests"}}]}] ```