The construction site for the Turin-Lyon railway line at Chiomonte in the Susa Valley was attacked on multiple fronts by several hundred protesters.
Two Carabinieri vans were set on fire during the assault, which is still ongoing. It is currently unknown whether there are any injuries. The protesters are all dressed in black and wearing helmets and gas masks. Law enforcement is repelling the attacks from inside the construction site using tear gas and water cannons, while the protesters throw stones and bottles and fire firecrackers and rockets, including from homemade mortars.
A group of around a hundred masked individuals was stopped by police, while a larger group was halted at Bruzolo, between San Didero and Bussoleno, to prevent them from reaching the construction site. The protesters damaged concrete Jersey barriers.
Meanwhile, motorway operator Sitaf announced that for public order reasons it has closed the A32 Turin-Bardonecchia motorway between the Oulx and Susa Est exits.
Earlier, several hundred activists belonging to the more radical and hardline wing of the movement had thrown stones and firecrackers at law enforcement deployed to protect the San Didero construction site. Tear gas was deployed to disperse the protesters. The initial clashes lasted approximately twenty minutes.
The march toward the "sites of devastation," as it had been named by the organisers, set off in the early afternoon from Venaus. According to the organisers, twenty thousand people took part.
The No TAV movement's march was renamed by its organisers as a "march toward the sites of devastation."
At the front of the procession was a banner reading: "We were here, we are here, we will be here. Now and always, No TAV." The march is organised on the occasion of the tenth edition of the "Alta Felicità" festival: as every year, musical and cultural events are scheduled through tomorrow.
Meloni: "Violence will not bend the State." Salvini and Tajani: "Unacceptable, it's the left's fault."
"Those who throw firecrackers, set fire to State vehicles and attack law enforcement are not defending an idea — they are attacking the State. At Chiomonte, following what happened in recent days in Bologna, uniformed men and women were once again targeted by the violence of hooded criminals. My solidarity and that of the Government goes out to them. Violence will not bend the State: those who serve Italy will never be left alone." So wrote Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on social media.
Deputy Prime Minister and Lega secretary Matteo Salvini wrote on X: "Unacceptable. These are the poisoned and violent fruits of a left wing that has for too long been fuelling hatred and undermining the legitimacy of law enforcement and those who wear a uniform. Full solidarity with the officers."
Antonio Tajani, deputy prime minister and secretary of Forza Italia, intervenes: "The guerrilla warfare unleashed by No Tav activists against law enforcement is disgraceful and unacceptable. Once again, officers are defending the security of the State and its citizens at the risk of their own safety, as well as the country's growth through the construction of infrastructure that is essential for the economy and local communities. My fullest solidarity goes to the Carabinieri, police officers, Guardia di Finanza, local police and all servants of the State who have once again become targets in recent hours. And all of this takes place amid the deafening silence of a left wing that is increasingly tolerant of, if not outright complicit with, thugs, violent individuals and subversive groups, from Bologna to the Val di Susa."
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