Milan protests decry ‘creeping fascism’ of ICE role at Winter Olympics

Demonstrators successful Milan protestation United State’s ICE portion relation astatine Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Saturday successful Milan to protestation the deployment of ICE agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics, unbothered by the information that agents would beryllium stationed successful a power country and not operating connected the streets.

The protestation successful Piazza XXV Aprile, a quadrate named for the day of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism successful 1945, drew radical from the left-leaning Democratic Party, the CGIL commercialized national confederation and the ANPI organisations that support the representation of Italy’s partisan absorption during World War II, on with galore different people.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4History-chasing Djokovic and Alcaraz conscionable successful Australian Open 2026 final
• list 2 of 4Real look to bounce backmost from UCL woes arsenic Vallecano get successful La Liga
• list 3 of 4Madison Square Garden warns brawlers of beingness bans earlier Lopez vs Stevenson
• list 4 of 4Sabalenka ‘really upset’ astatine blowing Australian Open last chances

Organisers handed retired integrative whistles, which participants blew arsenic euphony blared from a van. The protestation was arsenic overmuch against the quality that agents from a part of ICE would enactment successful security for the US delegation arsenic against what galore saw arsenic creeping fascism successful the United States.

“No convey you, from Minnesota to the world, astatine the broadside of anyone who fights for quality rights,’’ work 1 banner. “Never again means ne'er again for anyone,’’ work another, and “Ice lone successful Spritz,’’ a notation to a fashionable aperitif, work yet another.

News of the deployment of ICE agents has provoked a backlash successful Italy. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said they were not welcome. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has been called to Parliament to attest astir the deployment this week.

Protester Silvana Grassi held a motion that work “Ice = Gestapo.” She said the scenes of ICE agents successful Minneapolis shooting and sidesplitting protesters and detaining children were profoundly upsetting.

“It makes maine privation to outcry to deliberation of it,’’ Grassi said. “It’s excessively terrible. How did they elite specified a terrible, evil man?’’

The ICE agents to beryllium deployed to Milan are not from the aforesaid portion arsenic the migration agents cracking down successful Minnesota and different US cities.

Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE portion that focuses connected cross-border crimes, often sends its officers to overseas events similar the Olympics to assistance with security. The ICE limb astatine the forefront of the migration crackdown successful the US is known arsenic Enforcement and Removal Operations, and determination is nary denotation its officers are being sent to Italy.

“Even if it’s not the aforesaid ones, we don’t privation them here,’’ Grassi said.

Paolo Bortoletto, besides holding a banner, was alert that the officers would person an investigative and not a thoroughfare role.

Still, helium said, “We don’t privation them successful our country. We are a peaceful country. We don’t privation fascists. It’s their ideas that fuss us.”

The Olympics statesman February 6 with an opening ceremonial that volition beryllium attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.