An Italian priest has gone viral after flipping off protesters while protecting his congregation from a far-left mob.
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priest → go → mob
The priest, identified as 65-year-old Father Giannicola Maria Simone of the Saint Alexander of Zebedia church in the heart of Milan, was seen giving a protester the finger.
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priest → identify → finger
Footage showed a masked and hooded young man swearing at the priest.
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man → show → priest
Fr Simone was seen calmly returning the gesture as he stood outside the ancient place of worship.
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he → see → worship
The incident took place last weekend, amid violence across Italy inspired by the riots seen in France.
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incident → take → France
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, he said he allowed many people seeking protection to come into the church: 'They weren't worshippers, but tourists and other passersby.
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They → speak → church
They stayed here until the chaos passed.
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chaos → stay → ?
As these young people were walking by, someone gave me the middle finger.
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someone → walk → finger
I gave them the middle finger back, but without any violent intentions or the risk of sparking further anger.
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I → give → anger
When asked whether he repented for the gesture, he said: 'No, I don't think we should talk about repentance.
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we → ask → repentance
If I had thrown a punch, yes, but I've never raised my hand to anyone, not even in the most difficult moments.'
Father Giannicola Maria Simone (pictured) was seen calming flipping a protester off
Footage showed a masked and hooded young man swearing at the priest
Asked whether he had spoken to the attackers, he said: 'I tried to chat with them, I wanted to understand what was on their minds, but their answers were very vague.
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answers → throw → minds
said, "We don't know why we're here, everyone came, so I came too".
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I → say → ?
On Wednesday, retailers said a protest by Italian truck drivers over fuel prices and the cost of living is causing food shortages in shops, with deliveries disrupted and fresh produce rotting.
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produce → say → shops
The protests, which began in southern Italy last week, have also disrupted operations in at least two regional airports in Calabria because they cannot get deliveries of aviation fuel.
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they → begin → fuel
With traffic snarled in various parts of the country, long queues formed on the A1 motorway near the southern city of Naples after truckers restricted access.
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truckers → snarl → access
Trucks and tractors drove into the central square in the northeastern city of Ravenna as the protests spread and farmers added their voices.
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farmers → drive → voices
The ANCD-Conad group, representing retailers operating under the Conad supermarket brand, said large quantities of perishable products including fruit and vegetables, as well as milk and meat were stranded on trucks and in warehouses.
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quantities → represent → warehouses
'The freedom to protest cannot translate into undermining citizens' right to receive fresh food or destroying the value created by Italy's agri-food supply chains,' said the group's president Maurizio Pelliconi.
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president → protest → chains
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet plans to meet on Thursday to approve a package bringing together aid measures for truck drivers and farmers, her office said in a statement.
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office → plan → statement
Police carry out numerous detentions and arrests as protesters, including many young demonstrators, flee from law enforcement during urban unrest following demonstrations against the high cost of living in Milan, Italy, on October 18, 2026
Anti-riot police clashes with demonstrators during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026
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protesters → carry → October
The government has set aside around €1billion (£840million) this year to help truck drivers cope with surging fuel costs and replace older vehicles with less-polluting models.
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drivers → set → models
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi called for an end to the protests, saying they were also disrupting supplies to hospitals, and warned the government was prepared to take a harder line against hauliers.
'If someone is breaking the law, then at a certain point the law must be enforced,' he told reporters.
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he → call → reporters
With tensions over economic difficulties running high in Italy, weekend riots saw gangs of mainly young people go on the rampage in Milan and other northern cities.
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gangs → run → Milan
The government responded on Tuesday with a new security decree targeting under-age offenders.
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government → respond → offenders
The Aporia
