ROME, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Italy approved tougher security measures on Thursday, including provisions allowing temporary preventive detention of individuals suspected of plotting violence during demonstrations.
The package was fast-tracked by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet after violent clashes between police and demonstrators in the northern city of Turin on Saturday left over 100 officers injured.
The unrest erupted during a large demonstration against the closure of a social center that authorities said had been "illegally occupied" by leftists for about 30 years before its eviction in December.
Under the decree, police may place repeat offenders under preventive detention for up to 12 hours if they are suspected of planning riots or other violent acts aimed at disrupting public rallies.
The measures also ban the sale of knives to minors, impose fines of up to 1,000 euros (about 1,180 U.S. dollars) on parents whose children are found carrying blades, and introduce tougher measures targeting youth gangs.
The new package was approved after Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi addressed both chambers of parliament on the Saturday violence, mentioning that a 29-year-old officer was surrounded and repeatedly beaten by masked protesters, including with a hammer.
Meloni described the aggression as "an attempted murder," while President Sergio Mattarella expressed solidarity with the officers and police forces who suffered violence during the clashes. ■