Turin police run 14 home searches across Italy and seek 19 measures over Askatasuna clashes

Searches and requests

From the early hours of Friday, the Polizia di Stato of Turin has been carrying out 14 home searches in several parts of Italy against militants of the antagonist movement, on the orders of the judicial authority. The public prosecutor has asked for 19 precautionary measures against suspects accused of offences allegedly committed during the 31 January demonstration. The measures range from custody in prison to house arrest and an obligation to sign in regularly with the authorities. The requests are separate from the 14 searches now under way. Many people who frequented the Askatasuna building on corso Regina Margherita had already been charged with resisting a public official, causing injuries and disobeying orders from the authorities, for individual episodes at demonstrations and street clashes.

The clashes of 31 January

The investigation stems from the national demonstration of 31 January against the eviction of the Askatasuna social centre in Turin, which took place on 18 December. Protesters who came from across Italy clashed with police for about two hours. Officers were attacked with rockets, flares, petrol bombs, stones and bottles. Masked demonstrators set dumpsters and a police vehicle on fire, mainly around corso Regina Margherita. La Stampa reports that two police vans burned in the clashes. Rai News reports that about 1,500 people are considered responsible for the urban guerrilla, including anarchists, autonomists and antagonists, and that some specialists came from other Italian cities and from other European countries, in particular France. According to the same report, violent blocs broke away from the main march at dusk and used code names such as Blu, Ugo, Kiwi and Mango to communicate.

Injured officers

During the clashes, an officer was surrounded by a group of antagonists and struck with a hammer. Il Giornale identifies him as Antonio Calista, 29, and reports that he was hit with a hammer while alone until a colleague, Lorenzo Virgulti, intervened, and that protective equipment prevented more serious injuries. The same report says that attempted murder is alleged both for the assault and for the fire that engulfed a police van with an officer on board, who managed to get out. La Stampa reports that premier Giorgia Meloni visited the injured officers in hospital in the days after the clashes. In October, the injured officers received the civic honour "civica benemerenza" from the City of Turin.

Activists respond

The Askatasuna social centre responded as soon as it received notice of the requests, attacking the prosecutor's investigation and the government. In its statement, the centre said:

Several crimes are charged against the comrades involved in the requests for precautionary measures, with the intent of placing responsibility on some for what was a demonstration of popular anger that saw more than 50,000 people take part.

The statement also points to the security apparatus and blames violence coming from above. It accuses Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi of having backed the eviction and of celebrating it on social media. The statement attributes the investigation to prosecutor Paolo Scafi. The 50,000 figure comes from the centre itself and has not been confirmed by the police or the prosecutor in the articles reviewed.