Italian government points to “hybrid warfare” behind protests in Europe

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto believes the violent protests in Milan and other Italian cities are part of a “hybrid war against Western countries”.

Speaking at a military affairs conference in Rome on Tuesday, he said social media may have helped reshape the values and cultural reference points of younger generations.

Crosetto did not identify any country as being responsible. Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama did: he has accused Russia and Iran of being behind unrest in his country.

The demonstrations in Albania began over the cost of living and a tourism project linked to Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. They have since expanded to include calls for Rama to resign, which he has rejected.

Protests driven by social grievances

The debate has intensified following weekend clashes in Milan. Protests over the rising cost of living and in support of education ended in urban violence and looting. According to El Correo, Telegram and TikTok played a prominent role in the demonstrations.

Mariangela Zappia, president of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), has also raised the possibility that interests may lie behind some of the protests spreading across European countries. 

She said there was no evidence to confirm that anyone was trying to create confusion and fear, but argued that similarities between the demonstrations warranted analysis.

Suspicions of possible foreign interference coexist with the protesters’ social demands. In Milan, young people and students are calling for improvements to schools, which they say have suffered decades of underinvestment and poor maintenance.

Psychiatrist and education specialist Paolo Crepet has described grassroots protests as “good and justified”. Sociologist Cristina Pasqualini has highlighted demands for greater economic stability, jobs suited to people’s qualifications and opportunities to continue living in Italy.

Inflation, deteriorating public services, rising housing costs and upcoming elections are among the factors behind social discontent in Italy and other European countries. For now, possible foreign influence remains a hypothesis raised by authorities and analysts without conclusive evidence.