Europe is descending into civil unrest, and now the violence has reached the heart of Rome. Protesters carrying Palestinian flags forced their way through the gates of the Colosseum, one of the most recognizable monuments of Western civilization. Security personnel attempted to close the gates as demonstrators pushed forward, and some managed to enter the ancient amphitheater before being removed. The Italian government confirmed the intrusion on October 24 and reported no injuries or damage to the monument. Nevertheless, the spectacle of security guards struggling to protect a 2,000-year-old landmark while crowds attempted to force their way inside should tell you something about the growing disorder across Europe.
Italy is now confronting the same unrest that has swept through France and spread into other European nations. Thousands marched through Rome, Milan, Turin, and other cities over…student rights? It is unclear how the media is still attempting to twist these violent gatherings at student protests. In Rome, confrontations erupted near Piazza della Repubblica, where police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse groups attempting to push through security lines. In Bologna, demonstrators hurled bottles and other objects at police. The authorities reported nine arrests across Italy on Saturday, while hundreds were taken in for identification or security checks. The whole nation is putting out fires as the left descends further into violence.
The situation in Milan has become particularly disturbing. After rioters looted businesses and smashed storefronts during the previous weekend, merchants were forced to board up their shops ahead of another round of demonstrations. Luxury retailers, including Gucci, Tiffany, and Omega, protected their windows while the Apple store closed as a precaution. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni deployed an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, reinforcing hundreds already stationed there and approximately 5,000 police and other security personnel. Think about that. One of Europe’s wealthiest commercial centers is deploying military personnel and barricading businesses because the authorities fear another outbreak of looting. The shopkeeper who has invested his savings into a business is now expected to absorb the financial consequences of political disorder he had nothing to do with creating.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto acknowledged that the soldiers have limited enforcement powers. They may carry plastic restraint ties in designated areas, but they are not authorized to carry pepper spray or tasers. Italy is deploying military personnel to help maintain order in civilian streets, yet even their authority is tightly restricted. The police must deal with the violence, the businesses must bear the losses, and ordinary citizens are left wondering whether they can safely enter their own city centers.
Italy has long maintained armed security around sensitive religious and historic sites because of the threat of terrorism. Soldiers have guarded locations in Rome, including the capital’s synagogue and Jewish schools, while security has also been heightened around the Vatican and other prominent landmarks.
This is the birthplace of Roman civilization, a country whose architecture, law, language, and institutions helped shape the development of Europe. The Colosseum survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, centuries of political turmoil, and countless wars. Now unarmed security personnel are being forced to protect it from people who should never have been allowed in the nation in the first place. The Barbarians have passed the gates, but the people are utterly helpless thanks to ineffective governments that abandoned sovereignty to unelected globalist organizations long ago.