An officer surrounded and also beaten to the ground during clashes at the Askatasuna parade. Turin overwhelmed by fires and violence, while the number of injured rises and the government speaks of subversive escalation.
Yesterday Turin has once again become the scene of new violence. A demonstration called in support of the social center Askatasunaevicted in recent months, was transformed into one in the space of a few hours long sequence of clashes, fires and devastation. Thousands of demonstrators, who came not only from various Italian cities but also from abroad, took part in the procession, rquickly degenerated into a real urban guerrilla. The organization of the event included three distinct meeting points – Piazza XVIII Dicembre, Porta Nuova And New Palace – which then regrouped Piazza Vittorio Veneto. From there the procession took the Regina Margherita course director. It is along that axis, a few hundred meters from the former headquarters of Askatasunathat tension exploded uncontrollably, giving rise to prolonged clashes between protesters and law enforcement. The damage toll is serious. Pallets and bins were set on fire and used to build improvised barricades in the center of the road, with the aim of hindering the advance of police vehicles. From the front the procession saw continuous throwing of stones, bottles, chairs and even road signs. The area remained shrouded in a thick blanket of smoke for a long time, including smoke canisters and tear gas, making containment operations difficult.
During the most critical phases, one of the police vehicles was set on fire. The officers activated the hydrant to put out the fire, while the confrontation remained open and at high intensity. An initial estimate speaks of at least eleven injured among the police, a number destined to increase. About ten protesters were stopped. Among the most serious episodes, the attack on an officer who remained isolated during the clashes: lThe man was surrounded, hit repeatedly and beaten even when he was already on the ground. The intervention of a colleague was decisive, as he managed to save him from the beating and allow his subsequent rescue.
The press has also ended up in the sights of the most violent groups. There Rai condemned «with the utmost firmness the very serious attack suffered today in Turin by the journalist Bianca Leonardi and its filmmaker, belonging to the crew of the program “Wild West“”. According to what was reported in a note from the public service, the two operators “were targeted, physically attacked, threatened and forced to leave by force, while stones were thrown and work equipment destroyed”. An action defined as “violent and organised», with the explicit aim of preventing RAI from documenting what was happening. The episode takes on even greater weight in light of the investigation carried out by “Far West” on Askatasunawhich contributed to bringing critical issues and responsibilities linked to the social center to public and institutional attention. «Hitting journalists in this context means attempting to intimidate the public service and punish those who provide information“, underlines Rai, which expressed “full solidarity with the attacked colleagues» reiterating that « attacking journalists means attacking citizens’ right to be informed».
The reaction of the vice president of the Piedmont Region is harsh, Elena Chiorinowho spoke of a violence that was anything but sudden: «What happened today tears away every veil. The Askatasuna militants confirm themselves for what they have always been: a group of criminals who use the square as an instrument of intimidation and aim to subvert the democratic order.” For Chiorino it is not a question of dissent: «There is no protest here, there is only organized hatred and political terrorism. Today’s violence is of a terrorist nature.” The regional councilor is on the same line Maurizio Marronewhich focused attention on the presence of AVS in the square alongside the demonstrators: «A party that governs the city of Turin has officially taken to the streets together with the antagonistic horde that has arrived from all over Italy and abroad to devastate it and lynch the agents, under the indignant eyes of the people of Turin». Brown he asked the mayor Stefano Lo Russo «the political courage of oust Avs from the council and the majority“, warning that “the city is no longer willing to tolerate this massacre for mere power calculations”. Chiorino he also called into question the responsibility of those who decided to participate in the procession despite the announcements of clashes: “Whoever marched alongside those who had openly predicted devastation bears a very serious political and moral responsibility, without alibis.” To the police, he concluded, “full and total solidarity is owed: the State will not retreat a single millimeter in the face of antagonistic violence”.
The Minister of the Interior also intervened on the matter Matteo Piantedosiwho spoke of «cowardly and infamous beating» and announced the intention to strengthen the regulatory instruments against violent groups: «What happened confirms the urgency of new measures to defeat those who hide behind the right to demonstrate. There Italian Republic it has already defeated terrorism and will defeat this too antagonistic movement now clearly subversive». The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella contacted Plant yourself to express their solidarity with the attacked officer and all the members of the police forces who were injured. To close the picture, the words of the prime minister Giorgia Meloniwho asked for firmness: «These are not dissent or protest, but violent aggression against the state. The government has strengthened the tools against impunity, now it is essential that the judiciary also does its part to the full, without discounts or justifications».
