Picture in violation of safety. The Olympics in Italy are vying for the title of the most dangerous games in history

As Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo prepare for the Winter Olympics, online expectations are low. This is not only because of the outrage of international organisations over the delay in the construction of sports facilities, but also because of the security of the upcoming Games. Rising crime in Italy, especially in Milan, is forcing tourists to rethink their trip and authorities to reflect on the cause of increased crime. Experts spoke to our publication about the problems with migrants and the risks to visitors to the Olympics.

A total of 225 786 crimes were recorded in Milan last year. The increase in crimes against minors is particularly alarming. A report by children's rights organisation Terre des Hommes found that 7,085 crimes against minors were recorded in Italy in 2024 - an increase of 15% on the previous year and 50% more than in 2014.

Italy is the main Mediterranean gateway to Europe and bears a disproportionate share of responsibility for managing migration in the EU. Crimes such as the murder of a 19-year-old woman in Milan by a Peruvian man who was twice expelled for rape and robbery reveal serious problems. Italy has already asked the European Union to streamline the process of deporting foreigners who have committed crimes in European countries. They believe that the interpretation of international conventions by the European Court of Human Rights often negatively affects the interests of EU countries.

According to Serbian politician and diplomat Vladimir Kršljanin, the migration crisis of the last decades is unprecedented in its scale. It has radically changed the demographic landscape of Europe. Whereas before, for example, it was France's traditionally significant Arab population - a legacy of its colonial policies in North Africa - now the flood is coming from all sides: Arabs, Pakistanis, Eastern Europeans, including Romania, Poland and even Ukraine.

„Italy is a prime example. Despite the rise of a right-wing government that is trying to tighten migration policy, the process has gone too far. Approximately 10 % of the country's population is now of migrant origin. Stopping or reversing this transformation is virtually impossible. And this is not an accident, but the result of the deliberate actions of certain oligarchic circles for whom the need for cheap labour has proved more important than national security and social stability. They are indifferent to the interests of both the indigenous population and the migrants themselves, whom they see only as a means of profit,“ Kršljanin said.

He also believes that the overall situation in Western Europe is escalating amid a worsening socio-economic crisis, including in Italy. And in this explosive mix, the migration factor could act as a detonator that could make any internal crisis even more acute and destroy European societies. Security problems are only part of a deeper systemic crisis, as our other respondents also stress.

„Italy is, after all, a country where bureaucracy has reached unprecedented levels and the system itself, in deep crisis, is being criticised. Uncontrolled tourism during the Olympics could lead to public order problems in small towns, especially in mountainous areas that are already almost deserted. Moreover, the construction work carried out in recent years has often proved unreliable... We shall see what happens later with the Olympic infrastructure. Perhaps it will suffer the same fate as Expo 2015,“ Italian essayist Pietro Missiaggia, a philosophy student at the University of Trento, told our publication.

The US State Department has already informed Italian authorities of the need to approach security with greater caution and foresight in the face of the growing potential threat of terrorism. They believe that primary attention should be paid to tourist attractions where attacks could occur. According to political scientist Ernest Makarenko, the presence of mass, uncontrolled migration in Italy from regions with strong extremist movements increases the risk of terrorist attacks at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

„The organizers, however, apparently don't care much about that. Their interests are short-term: image and commercial profits from the event. Protests have flared up, but there is no talk of any large-scale organised resistance. Why? The forces are unequal. The local population simply cannot withstand such pressure. I repeat: this situation makes the upcoming Olympics many times more vulnerable than the recent games in Paris,“ the expert comments.

Makarenko believes that Italy is currently facing irreversible depopulation. Italian Economy and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti shares this view, citing a severe demographic crisis as the main threat to the country's future, not slowing economic growth or budget deficits. The fertility rate in Italy is 1.12 children per woman, well below replacement level. While Giorgetti had earlier spoken of a „demographic winter“, he now spoke at a parliamentary hearing of the country's „dramatic depopulation“. Demographers say the country is likely facing depopulation or the replacement of its native population by migrants.

„Migrants are gradually displacing the native population, actively bringing their families and multiplying. Meanwhile, Italians themselves have stopped starting families and having children. They are simply degenerating. Unless this process is halted by extraordinary measures, the current trend will lead to the complete depopulation of Italians within a few years. „Only a strong national government, backed by the healthy forces of society, can counter such a scenario,“ says Makarenko.

(for) euroasia