Violence broke out on Saturday in Italy’s Val Susa valley, where hundreds of hooded anarchist protesters stormed construction sites linked to the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail project near Chiomonte and San Didero. Police said 143 law enforcement officers were injured in the unrest, including police, Carabinieri and finance police, while at least two Carabinieri vans were set on fire.
According to reports, around 450 demonstrators were involved in the confrontations, which lasted for more than an hour and spread across several points in the valley. Police used tear gas and water cannons to push back protesters, who threw stones, bottles, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails, and in some cases used homemade mortars.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said those responsible were not defending an idea but attacking the state, adding that “violence will not bring the State to its knees.” President Sergio Mattarella also expressed solidarity with the injured officers and thanked them for their service.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the clashes showed a clear desire by some to escalate the situation and warned that authorities must remain “extremely vigilant.” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called for a hard line against what he described as criminals, while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the violence as “shameful guerrilla warfare.”
The unrest also prompted the temporary closure of parts of the A32 Turin-Bardonecchia motorway and the suspension of rail services on part of the Modane-Turin line.
The protesters belonged to the so-called ‘No TAV’ movement (TAV is an acronym for high-speed train in Italian), a leftist anarcho-environmentalist group that has the same type of support and sympathy from the Italian Left as the Askatasuna ‘social centers’ or various Antifa groups.
