Protests in Milan: Thousands of people spoke out against the 2026 Olympics and the environmental consequences of the Games
Kyiv • UNN
In Milan, thousands of protesters demonstrated against the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, leading to clashes with police. Demonstrators expressed dissatisfaction with the environmental consequences and rising housing prices.
Mass protests against the Winter Olympic Games swept the streets of Milan on Saturday. Thousands of demonstrators marched, expressing dissatisfaction with the social and environmental cost of the large-scale sporting event, leading to fierce clashes with law enforcement. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The protest, which began as a peaceful march, quickly escalated into a confrontation. Some participants began launching pyrotechnics at the police cordon, forcing police to use water cannons to disperse the crowd. Given the experience of last weekend in Turin, where more than 100 officers were injured during similar unrest, Milan police were on high alert.
Local authorities deployed additional units to protect Olympic facilities and central squares of the city. Despite law enforcement's attempts to stabilize the situation, tensions in the city remain high, and activists declare their intention to continue protests throughout the Games.
Environmental crisis and housing problems
Protesters leveled a number of accusations against the organizers of the Olympics. Posters displayed in the center of Milan criticized the mass felling of trees for track construction and the use of huge amounts of artificial snow, which harms the region's ecosystem.
The Games are no longer sustainable from an environmental and social point of view
In addition to environmental concerns, Milan residents are outraged by the exacerbation of the housing crisis. Activists claim that the Olympics provoked a sharp increase in rental prices and the eviction of people for the sake of tourist infrastructure. Currently, the organizing committee of the Games has not provided an official response to the protesters' demands, emphasizing the importance of the competition for the Italian economy.