Demonstrators and riot police clashed in Milan near the Olympic Village (Picture: Claudio Furlan/LaPresse/Shutterstock)
The Winter Olympics are off to a sticky start, with boos and jeers as JD Vance appeared on screen to tense clashes on the streets.
Thousands of people marched in Milan today opposing the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which kicked off yesterday.
Friday saw demonstrations against the presence of the controversial US enforcement agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who are providing security for the US delegation.
Then the US Vice President, JD Vance, and his wife, Usha Vance, were met with boos at the opening ceremony.
Around 100 protesters broke away from the main march, which was peaceful (Picture: Claudio Furlan/LaPresse/Shutterstock)
Police in riot gear used batons against the breakaway group of protesters (Picture: EPA)
Protesters also called for Vance and the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to leave Italy.
Boos were also directed at Israel’s Olympic team during the ceremony.
The second day of protests saw rallies ramp up, with focus on the environmental impact and money spent on the games, which are estimated to cost around £4.5 billion.
Flares fired at police and media in Milan as anti-Olympics protests spreadThousands marched past Olympic Village opposing Milano Cortina 2026Italy passed preventive detention decree 🅱️efore the Games openedProtesters say public funds burned on Olympics instead of healthcare pic.twitter.com/2XYDvi5L7R— Boi Agent One (@boiagentone) February 7, 2026
Demonstrations started peacefully with around 10,000 people taking part with signs and drums.
Families, grassroots organisations and trade union groups walked past the new Olympic Village holding banners with slogans against ICE, the Italian government led by Giorgia Meloni and Milan’s mayor.
A healthcare worker at the protest told Euronews: ‘It’s public money that has been spent on a display window. It may be interesting to have these showcase events, but at a time when there is not enough money for essential things, it makes no sense to spend it in this way.’
Police used water cannons and tear gas against the protesters (Picture: Getty Images)
Another demonstrator, Francesca Missana, 29, told AFP news agency: ‘The Games are no longer sustainable from an environmental or a social point of view, their time is up.’
The situation escalated after a group of around 100 hooded protesters broke away from the main march, Reuters reports.
They launched flares and fireworks at the police, who responded with water cannons and tear gas.
Smoke and tear gas filled the streets in Milan today (Picture: Getty Images)
Masked protesters had set off smoke bombs and firecrackers on a bridge around half a mile from the Olympic Village, where the athletes stay.
The latest protests come after clashes in Turin, northern Italy, left more than 100 injured.
The Winter Olympics have sparked criticism over their impact on the mountain ecosystem, energy consumption for fake snow and a surge in living costs in the host city, Milan.
Locals have said they are being priced out of the city due to the impact from the games and that money has been spent on infrastructure rather than on protecting the mountains.
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