Clashes in Val di Susa; four suspected members of the Blocco Nero have been arrested. Meloni and Piantedosi visit the scene
Four foreign nationals, believed to be linked to the so-called ‘Black Block’, were detained by the State Police as part of the investigation into the clashes that took place near the Turin–Lyon construction sites. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi visited the Val di Susa.
Key points
Four foreign nationals have been arrested by investigators from the Turin Police Headquarters as part of the investigation into the disturbances that took place on Saturday afternoon near the TAV construction sites in Val di Susa, when several hundred protesters, disguised in black clothing and gas masks, stormed the TAV construction sites, attacking the police officers stationed to protect the areas. The four are believed to be linked to the so-called ‘Black Bloc’; their roles are currently being examined by investigators, and the charges against them are not yet known.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, are carrying out an inspection visit to Val di Susa: they have arrived at Turin Caselle Airport, from where they are travelling to the valley by helicopter. Waiting for them on site are the Chief of Police, Vittorio Pisani, together with the Turin Police Commissioner, Massimo Gambino, and the Prefect of the Piedmontese capital, Donato Cafagna.
Piantedosi: attacking someone in uniform is an attack on the State
“To attack someone in uniform is to attack the State,” said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in an interview with *Corriere della Sera*, referring to the No Tav protests in Val di Susa, which followed the clashes in Bologna. “It is now clear to everyone that there is an international network of violence and disorder that uses any issue as a pretext to engage in hooliganism and pure, unadulterated violence. There is no point beating about the bush. That is why, regardless of any other analysis, it would be more appropriate than ever for all forces that claim to be democratic to distance themselves without hesitation or pretence,’ declared the minister, who believes that ‘the facts demonstrate’ that the target of the violence is the police.
Solidarity with the police officers deployed to patrol the area
Police Chief Vittorio Pisani expressed his support for his colleagues who were on duty in the area.
Yesterday, the Commander-General of the Carabinieri, Salvatore Luongo, telephoned the commanders of the “Piemonte”, “Lombardy” and “Lazio”, whose personnel were involved last Saturday in violent clashes with demonstrators in Val di Susa, at the high-speed rail (TAV) construction sites, to to check on the condition of the officers who had been injured and to express the Corps’ solidarity with them. Among them, the Commander-General spoke by telephone to Chief Marshal Emilio Di Maria, who is due to be admitted today to the Military Polyclinic in Rome following injuries sustained in the violent clashes, and to whom he expressed the solidarity of the entire Corps.
