ROME – The Italian Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a sweeping new security decree, advancing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s law-and-order agenda. Passed by a vote of 109 to 69, the legislation introduces a range of stricter penalties targeting public demonstrations, property occupations, and the trade of non-psychoactive cannabis.
Backed by the right-wing coalition, the bill sparked fierce debate in Italy’s upper house, with opposition senators staging a protest on the Senate floor, chanting “shame” as proceedings were briefly suspended. Critics from across the political spectrum have described the measures as excessively harsh and authoritarian.
Francesco Boccia, a senator from the centre-left Democratic Party, accused the government of criminalizing peaceful dissent. “They want to imprison students, striking workers, and children,” he told reporters.
The new law penalizes the blocking of streets and vandalism, directly impacting anti-climate activists who have used such tactics across Italy. It also criminalizes passive resistance during uprisings in prisons and migrant detention centres, while introducing punishments for squatting in private or social housing.
A controversial element of the decree is the ban on “cannabis light”—a form of hemp with no intoxicating effects. Italian entrepreneurs argue the ban will devastate an emerging industry, threatening thousands of jobs and millions in investments.
Another clause eliminates exemptions from prison for pregnant women and mothers of young children, a provision critics say unfairly targets members of the Roma community frequently accused of petty theft. “Women who have children just to steal are not fit to have them,” declared Gianni Berrino of the ruling Brothers of Italy party during the debate.
The decree also imposes tougher penalties on individuals who injure police during protests and guarantees up to €10,000 in legal support for law enforcement or military personnel facing prosecution.
Since winning the 2022 election, Meloni’s government has pushed through a series of security-focused laws. While her coalition remains popular in Italy, opponents warn that these policies risk further straining the country’s overcrowded prison system without addressing the root causes of crime.