Italy Fast-Tracks Security Decree After Turin Clashes Leave Over 100 Officers Injured
Italy’s government is fast-tracking a new security decree after violent clashes in Turin left more than 100 security officers injured, including a policeman who was beaten with a hammer during a protest, an attack Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as «attempted murder.»
The officer, 29-year-old Alessandro Calista of the Padua Mobile Police Unit, was surrounded by masked demonstrators and struck repeatedly before colleagues managed to pull him to safety using riot shields. He was treated at Turin’s Molinette hospital and later discharged with multiple contusions and a hammer-related injury.
Police arrested three men aged 22, 31 and 35 following Saturday’s unrest, which erupted during a demonstration in support of the evicted Askatasuna anarchist social centre. Authorities said 108 members of the security forces were injured, including police officers, financial police and carabinieri. More than 20 additional suspects were reported for offenses ranging from carrying weapons to resisting police.
Protesters set fire to rubbish bins and a police armoured vehicle, hurled stones and incendiary devices, and used street furniture as weapons. Police estimated that around 1,500 demonstrators took part in the most violent phase, including individuals from France and northern Europe, raising concerns ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Meloni said the government would accelerate approval of a security package, with measures expected to reach the Council of Ministers later this week. Proposed steps include preventive detention for repeat violent offenders, tighter restrictions on knife sales and expanded self-defence protections. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi is set to brief parliament on the violence, while President Sergio Mattarella expressed solidarity with the injured officers.
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