Anyone joining a protest group of five or more people who endangers public safety in Italy now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as €20,000 ($22,460).

The penalty is one of a raft of security measures approved Tuesday, which go into effect immediately.

The new anti-riot laws also create a new offence of violent participation in a demonstration and hold parents financially liable when their children take part in vandalism and looting. Penalties are increased where faces are concealed or people are injured.

The measures follow unrest that swept northern Italian cities this weekend, including the financial capital Milan, where gangs of mainly young people went on the rampage, smashing windows, robbing shops and attacking police.

Authorities can also order prompt compensation for any damage inflicted. If minors are involved, their parents will be held liable.

“There is nothing revolutionary about vandalising and stealing. Vandalism and theft are not protest, they are criminality,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on social media while announcing the new penalties.

Police also gain the power to detain youths between age 14 and 17 even if they have not committed a crime, provided there is evidence they pose a danger. The powers previously applied only to adults.

On Monday, the government said it would deploy 500 army troops alongside the police in Milan until the end of 2026 as authorities fear further unrest at demonstrations planned for Saturday.

The defence ministry said in a statement that the military will help reinforce security at key sites, step up surveillance of sensitive locations and enhance monitoring across the area.

The disturbances in northern Italy echoed riots in neighbouring France, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday in some of the country’s most violent turmoil in years.

Meloni has passed a steady stream of security crackdowns since taking office in 2022, which critics say do little to address the underlying causes of crime and disorder.

Government data shows Italy’s prison population has increased by more than 17% over four years, or nearly 10,000 people.

Her government is also facing mounting pressure from a separate wave of protests in southern Italy, where truck drivers angered by soaring diesel prices and the rising cost of living have staged roadblocks that are disrupting supply chains.

Some pasta makers have had to halt production, and agricultural groups have warned that fruit and vegetables could be left to rot.

After talks with industry representatives, the government has promised fresh aid for road hauliers.

Protesters in both the north and the south say rising prices are pushing families into poverty, a concern for Meloni ahead of national elections that are due in 2027.

“We know what it means to look for a job, to earn an insufficient wage, and to see no prospects for the future … but hardship must never be used as an excuse for violence,” the prime minister said on Tuesday.