Italy cracks down on protests, squatters and cannabis

ROME (Reuters) -Italy’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday gave final approval to a wide-ranging security decree that targets public protests, pickpockets and squatters, and outlaws so-called “legal” cannabis. The measures, spearheaded by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition government, have been criticised by opposition groups and civil rights campaigners as unduly repressive. The Senate passed the decree with a 109-69 vote, with one abstention, after a stormy session that was temporarily suspended when opposition lawmakers staged a protest on the floor of the chamber, shouting “shame, shame”.