Violent Clashes Erupt at Italian High-Speed Rail Construction Sites; Over 100 Police Injured

Violent clashes erupted in Italy's Susa Valley as hundreds of masked anti-high-speed rail activists stormed construction sites, launching Molotov cocktails and projectiles at law enforcement. The confrontations resulted in over a hundred injuries among police officers, with figures from the Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, and Police detailing the extent of the casualties. The violence marks a significant escalation in the long-standing opposition to the high-speed rail project.

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We have witnessed the umpteenth scenes of violence against the Forces of Order, after those recorded in recent days. It is the confirmation of a will, on the part of someone, to bring about an escalation that requires maximum attention.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi condemned the "scenes of violence against law enforcement," stating it confirms a deliberate escalation that requires "maximum attention." He called for a "unified, clear, and unambiguous stance from all political forces and institutions" to isolate those inciting violence. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed this sentiment on social media, asserting that "violence will not bend the state" and that "those who serve Italy will never be left alone." She emphasized that those attacking state property and police are not defending an idea but attacking the state itself.

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Isolating those who fuel violence must be a shared duty, beyond any affiliation. Otherwise, these delinquents will convince themselves that they can enjoy complacency and sharing of their subversive violence.

The President of the Republic conveyed his solidarity and gratitude to the law enforcement officers through the Interior Minister and expressed his closeness to the injured agents. The activists, described as belonging to the "Black Bloc" movement, which has a history of urban guerrilla tactics, included Italians and foreigners, notably from France, Spain, and Germany. They infiltrated a larger No Tav (No High-Speed Train) demonstration, which organizers claimed drew twenty thousand participants.

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Those who throw firecrackers, set fire to state vehicles, and assault the Forces of Order are not defending an idea, they are attacking the State.

The clashes were most intense at the Chiomonte construction site, where protesters breached the perimeter and set fire to at least two Carabinieri vehicles. The violence underscores the deep divisions and intense opposition surrounding the high-speed rail project, posing a significant challenge to public order and state authority in the region.

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Violence will not bend the State: those who serve Italy will never be left alone.