The Italian government partially backtracked on its intention to send Army troops with police powers to Milan and other cities to deal with mob violence in the midst of ongoing demonstrations and social unrest. According to reports, State President Sergio Mattarella has signalled that the move would be anti-constitutional. However, 500 troops will be sent as part of “mixed patrols” with police deployments. They will give a “perception” of safety. A pre-emptive 24-hour arrest for minors, based on social media monitoring, was also approved. With that, militarization has a foot in the door.

At the same time, the narrative of Russian “hybrid warfare” behind street riots is being spread by politicians and mainstream media. The claim is that the youth mob is mobilized through social media messages, whose author is impossible to trace, and only a state can do that!