Winter Olympics struck by mass protests in Milan as fireworks and flares fly in dramatic scenes
Thousands of demonstrators took to Milan’s streets on Saturday, with some igniting fireworks and flares as they voiced opposition to rising housing costs and environmental destruction during the opening full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The procession was coordinated by grassroots trade unions, housing advocacy organisations and social centre activists who sought to highlight what they characterised as an unsustainable urban development model in the Italian city.
Marchers raised concerns about escalating rents, growing inequality and the ecological consequences of construction projects connected to the Games.
One prominent banner displayed across a street declared: “Let’s take back the cities, let’s free the mountains.”
Approximately 50 protesters led the march carrying stylised cardboard trees, a symbolic tribute to the larches they claimed had been felled to construct a new bobsleigh run in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
A second banner carried a pointed message: “Century-old trees, survivors of two wars sacrificed for 90 seconds of competition on a bobsleigh track costing 124 million euros.”
Demonstrators argued the Winter Games represented a wasteful deployment of public money and resources.
Thousands of demonstrators took to Milan’s streets on Saturday, with some igniting fireworks and flares as they voiced opposition to rising housing costs and environmental destruction during the opening full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
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REUTERS
They directed particular criticism at Olympic-linked infrastructure developments, which they maintained had inflicted environmental harm on mountain communities where events are being staged.
Several groups contended that such projects exemplified the broader problems they had gathered to oppose.
Stefano Nutini, a 71-year-old protester standing beneath a Communist Refoundation Party flag, explained his presence at the demonstration.
A chaotic anti-Olympics protests in Milan, where demonstrators fired fireworks during a rally against the environmental and economic costs of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/JPsxo4rq6A
— Abhijit Pathak (@aajtakabhijit) February 7, 2026
“I’m here because these Olympics are unsustainable economically, socially and environmentally,” he said.
Nutini argued that Olympic construction schemes had imposed a significant burden on alpine towns involved in hosting what he described as the first extensively dispersed edition of the Winter Games.
The geographic spread of venues across multiple mountain communities has meant infrastructure work in numerous locations, amplifying concerns about the cumulative impact on local populations and landscapes.
Critics maintain this decentralised approach has multiplied rather than minimised the strain on participating regions.
Milan has been wrestling with the fallout from a prolonged property boom triggered by the 2015 World Expo, which has pushed living expenses beyond the reach of many residents.
Activists contend this pressure has been compounded by initiatives designed to attract affluent newcomers, alongside wider shifts including Brexit that have brought professionals to the city.
Fireworks and flares were let off as demonstrators protested against the Winter Olympics in Milan
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REUTERS
The International Olympic Committee has defended the environmental credentials of the Games, stating that the majority of events are taking place at pre-existing venues, an approach it argues enhances sustainability.
The demonstrations highlighted the fundamental divide between those who view the Olympics as a chance to showcase Italy and those who warn of lasting social and ecological damage.
Footage has emerged on social media showing fireworks and flares flying.
The Games will run from February 6 to February 22.
