MILAN, Feb 6 - Hundreds of people assembled in Milan on Friday to voice opposition to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and to protest the temporary closure of schools and restricted access to parts of the city ahead of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
The U.S. State Department said last week that several federal agencies, among them ICE, would take part in protecting Americans visiting Italy for the Games. That announcement immediately prompted demonstrations in Milan.
Italian authorities ordered schools in central Milan to remain closed on Friday and limited access to some urban areas. Officials said these measures were intended to bolster security around the ceremony and to ease traffic disruptions in the city as delegations and visitors arrive.
Most of the protesters were students carrying placards that read "ICE out." They gathered in Piazzale Leonardo da Vinci, in front of a Politecnico University building in the eastern part of Milan. Marchers carried a banner that criticised the presence of ICE and also named U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Demonstrators expressed broader opposition to measures related to the Games, including the partial shutdown of city areas for what they described as an unsustainable Olympics. The protesters linked their objections to local housing and urban concerns, saying that housing prices are unaffordable and that social spaces are increasingly scarce.
Separate actions also took place on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday morning, environmental group Greenpeace staged a protest in front of Milan's cathedral, targeting the role of Italian oil major Eni as a sponsor of the Games. On Friday evening, a torchlit march organised by the Committee Against the Olympics was expected near the site of the opening ceremony.
The demonstrations combined student-led opposition to ICE's presence, environmental objections to corporate sponsorship, and broader criticism of the disruptions and urban impacts tied to staging the Games. Local school closures and restricted access to central areas were implemented by authorities as part of preparations and security arrangements.