MILAN, Feb 7 — Thousands of people were expected to march through Milan today in a protest over housing costs and urban affordability on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The march, organised by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social centre community activists, is set to highlight what activists call an increasingly unsustainable city model marked by soaring rents and deepening inequality.

The Olympics cap a decade in which Milan has seen a property boom following the 2015 World Expo, with locals squeezed by soaring living costs as Italy’s tax scheme for wealthy new residents, alongside Brexit, drew professionals to the financial capital.

According to police estimates, more than 3,000 people are expected to join the march.

It will set off at 3.00pm (1400 GMT) from the Medaglie d’Oro central square and cover nearly four kilometres (2.5 miles) before ending in Milan’s south-eastern quadrant of Corvetto, a historically working-class district.

A rally last weekend by the hard left in the city of Turin turned violent, with more than 100 police officers injured and nearly 30 protesters arrested, according to an interior ministry tally.

Today’s protest follows a series of actions in the run-up to the Games, including rallies on the eve of the opening ceremony that denounced the presence in Italy of US ICE agents and what activists describe as the social and economic burdens of the Olympic project.

Some groups argue that Olympics are a waste of money and resources while housing prices are unaffordable and public meeting places scarce.

The march is taking place under tight security as Milan hosts world leaders, athletes and thousands of visitors for the global sport event, including US Vice President JD Vance.

Political tensions surfaced at the opening ceremony yesterday night where Vance drew jeers in the packed San Siro stadium when an image of him waving the US flag appeared on a big screen. — Reuters