MILANESE PRIDE: Rioters protesting the start of the World Expo in Milan on Friday gave new meaning to fast-fashion.
Having taken Corso Vercelli and Piazzale Cadorna by storm — smashing windows, setting the odd luxury car on fire and scrawling profound sentiments such as “free party is not a crime” on the walls in spray paint — the protesters shed their black garments and gas masks, gloves and batons and slipped into the crowds as police moved in.
Over the weekend, many small business owners, angered by damage to their storefronts, nonetheless set about clearing away the mess, invoking Milanese pride. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke dismissively of the rioters as “hooligans who come from money.”
Meanwhile, the daily La Repubblica published a full-page illustration of this season’s on-trend rioting gear, noting that “black is a tribute to anarchists.”