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Italy's prime minister has blamed "gangs of criminals" and "enemies of Italy" for sabotage that looks to have been aimed at ruining the country's hosting of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which is taking place in and around the northern Lombardy region.

Giorgia Meloni said the saboteurs, who attacked railway lines on the weekend used by tourists visiting Games' locations, seem intent on damaging Italy's image.

She also criticized protesters who clashed with police after the Games began on Friday.

"Thousands and thousands of Italians are working during these hours, so that everything works in the Olympics … because they want their nation to make a good impression, be admired, and respected," Meloni wrote on social media. "Then, there are the enemies of Italy, and the Italians protesting against the Olympics, whose images will end up being broadcast on televisions throughout much of the world."

The most serious disruption so far happened on Saturday morning, when Italy's high-speed rail network was hit by sabotage that caused snarl-ups, especially around the major hub of Bologna. There were also pitched battles between demonstrators and police on the streets of Milan on Saturday evening.

The sabotage on the train tracks included an improvised explosive device being placed on a line near Bologna, a signaling hut near Pesaro being set on fire, and cables that detect the speed at which trains are moving being severed, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

The country's Ministry of Transport described the incidents, which caused the most serious delays on the line between Bologna and Venice, as acts of "serious sabotage".

AFP quoted Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, as saying they were similar "in action and timing" to "terrorist attacks that occurred in France just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games" in 2024.

Salvini, who is also Italy's transport minister, said the sabotage caused "significant disruption to thousands of travelers" and was "worrying" but that the saboteurs will not succeed in damaging Italy's reputation.

"These actions of unprecedented seriousness do not in any way tarnish Italy's image in the world, an image that the Games will make even more compelling and positive," he said.

Unions and student groups angered by the cost of the Olympics at a time when many are experiencing economic hardship also staged peaceful protests against the Games. Some in attendance chanted slogans in opposition to the presence of agents from the United States' Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, who are helping with security at Milano Cortina 2026.

The BBC quoted a police spokesperson as saying all of the incidents of suspected sabotage are under investigation and that no group has yet claimed responsibility.

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