A largely peaceful demonstration in Milan on Saturday, near the Olympic Village in northern Italy, turned violent after the main march dispersed.
Authorities said about 10,000 people participated in the larger march toward the Olympic Village. When most demonstrators left, a smaller group remained and scuffled with police. Officers reported protesters set off smoke devices and hurled flares, stones and fireworks; police used batons, water cannon and tear gas to break up the clashes.
The protests focused on the environmental impact of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which opened on Friday. One banner carried by a group calling itself the Unsustainable Olympic Committee read ‘Let’s take back the cities and free the mountains.’ Some demonstrators also carried cardboard cutouts representing trees cut down to build a new bobsled run in Cortina.
The demonstrations coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation and attended the opening ceremony amid a mixture of boos and applause. Protesters also voiced opposition to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents assigned to protect visiting U.S. officials, including Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Italy deployed roughly 6,000 security personnel around Olympic sites for the duration of the Games.