Val di Susa: Meloni visits Chiomonte after the No Tav clashes: four arrested and 126 officers injured.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi visited the Turin-Lyon construction site hit by Saturday's attacks. The prime minister stated, "This isn't dissent; it's organized and premeditated violence." The Turin prosecutor's office is investigating the case for devastation, while identification and image analysis are ongoing. Telt estimates approximately €1 million in damage in the Chiomonte area alone.

Meloni and Piantedosi at the devastated construction site in Chiomonte

The clashes that occurred during the No TAV demonstration in the Susa Valley are directly on the government's political agenda. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi inspected the construction site of the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail line in Chiomonte, the epicenter of Saturday's violence.

The Prime Minister and the Interior Minister arrived at Turin Caselle Airport, where they were greeted by Police Chief Vittorio Pisani, Turin Police Chief Massimo Gambino, and Prefect Donato Cafagna. From Caselle, they flew to the Susa Valley aboard two separate helicopters, first overflying the area affected by the attacks and then inspecting the damaged structures.

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At the construction site, Meloni and Piantedosi met with members of the police force involved in surveillance, workers, technicians, engineers and representatives of Telt, the Italian-French company responsible for the construction and management of the cross-border section of the Turin-Lyon line.

The Prime Minister: "The State is here and has no intention of backing down."

In a video recorded during the inspection, with the remains of the destroyed structures in her background, Giorgia Meloni delivered a particularly harsh message to those responsible for the attacks.

"This is not dissent, this is organized, premeditated violence, and it must be treated as such," the Prime Minister declared, assuring that the government will do everything within its power to identify and punish the perpetrators of the devastation.

Meloni also appealed to the judiciary and investigators, asking them to do "maximum effort" to identify those involved in the attacks. "A normal state cannot tolerate something like this," the prime minister emphasized.

Solidarity with the injured officers

The official visit was also organized to demonstrate the government's support for the law enforcement officers injured during the clashes. According to the latest figures, 126 people were injured, including police officers, Carabinieri, and Guardia di Finanza soldiers.

"One hundred and twenty public safety officers who were injured deserve the presence of the institutions," Meloni stated, explaining that the inspection represents a desire to reiterate that "the State is here and has no intention of retreating."

The Prime Minister also recalled that officers are forced to patrol the construction site area year-round, 24 hours a day, with particularly demanding security measures and at high costs to the community.

The government's closeness to workers, technicians and businesses

Meloni also wanted to send a message to the people who work daily on the Turin-Lyon construction site. About ten workers were present during the attack, but they were removed and rescued before the situation deteriorated further.

The prime minister spoke of workers, technicians, engineers, and businesses "rolling up their sleeves" and who, in the space of a few hours, saw the structures, equipment, and spaces necessary for the continuation of the work destroyed.

"We're here for them too," Meloni declared, assuring the government of its commitment to ensuring those responsible for the devastation are identified and brought to justice.

Four foreign opponents arrested by the police

On the investigative front, four foreign nationals were arrested by State Police investigators from the Turin Police Headquarters. According to initial information, the four are linked to the so-called Black Bloc area and may have played an active role in the clashes.

Their positions are still being examined by investigators, and their individual charges have not yet been officially released. Investigators are trying to reconstruct each individual's behavior through videos, photographs, testimonies, and material collected in the hours following the attacks.

The investigation is being coordinated by the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office, headed by Prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri. The alleged crime currently at the center of the case is devastation, but it is not excluded that further charges may be filed based on the individual acts.

The Prosecutor's Office is investigating the organization of the attacks

One of the key aspects of the investigation concerns the preparation of the attacks and the possible coordination between the most violent groups. During the clashes, hundreds of people wearing masks, dressed in black, and equipped with tear gas protection devices attempted to reach and damage several construction sites on the Turin-Lyon highway.

Investigators will have to establish who physically set fire to the vehicles, destroyed the structures, threw objects at the officers, and introduced explosive or incendiary material into the area.

The analysis of the images will also serve to verify the possible presence of antagonists from abroad and the possible connections between the groups that intervened in Val di Susa and other European extremist groups.

Homemade explosive devices, Molotov cocktails, and gas masks seized

During the checks, law enforcement seized pyrotechnic and explosive materials, incendiary bottles, homemade explosive devices, helmets, balaclavas, and gas masks.

The material was allegedly used to hide one's face, protect oneself from the tools used by the police, and conduct attacks against fences, vehicles, and construction site structures.

The discovery of pre-prepared tools strengthens, according to the government, the reconstruction of an organized and premeditated action. However, judicial investigations will determine the actual level of planning and individual responsibilities.

Over 800 people identified in Venaus

In parallel with the judicial investigations, the Turin Police Headquarters has intensified checks on the roads of the Susa Valley, particularly in the areas near the campsite organised for the Alta Felicità Festival , promoted by the No Tav movement and now in its tenth edition.

In Venaus, two checkpoints were set up on access roads. Over the course of the morning, over 800 people were identified as leaving the festival grounds, while another 436 had already been checked the previous day.

Among those identified are citizens of France, Germany, and Belgium. The checks do not automatically lead to attribution of responsibility, but they do allow investigators to compare the names with the images recorded during the attacks.

The controls contested by the No Tav movement

The No Tav movement denounced on its social media channels what it called a "show of force" by the Turin Police Headquarters and the government. According to activists, the shuttle service used by participants to leave the Alta Felicità Festival was temporarily suspended while people were identified both on foot and in vehicles.

Organizers linked the increased security checks to the turnout at Saturday's demonstration, calling the rally a major day of protest for the Susa Valley.

According to authorities, the security measures were implemented to identify any individuals involved in the attacks and prevent the removal of those suspected of participating in the violence.

The damage to the construction site amounts to approximately one million euros

Telt estimated the damage caused to the Chiomonte construction site alone at approximately one million euros . The attack destroyed the company's offices, two floors of containers with their equipment, a warehouse, a workshop, and a hangar containing large equipment.

The video surveillance system, several fences, a pickup truck, some company cars, and the visitor center with its exhibition material were also damaged.

The construction site also contained several acetylene cylinders, which exploded only after workers and other personnel had managed to leave the area. The timeframe for debris removal, securing the area, and resuming operations remains to be determined.

Attacks also in Salbertrand, Susa and San Didero

The most serious situation was recorded in Chiomonte, but attacks also affected other construction sites and areas connected to the Turin-Lyon highway.

The protesters' actions involved Salbertrand, San Didero, and the Traduerivi hamlet of Susa. At several points, law enforcement officers had to deal with stones, firecrackers, rockets, and other projectiles.

The simultaneous presence of multiple groups in different areas of the Valley is one of the elements investigators are analyzing to understand whether the attacks were coordinated and planned in advance.

Piantedosi: "Attacking a uniform means attacking the state."

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called the perpetrators of the violence part of an "international network of violence and disorder" capable of using various political and social themes to carry out hooliganism.

"Attacking those who wear a uniform is attacking the state," declared the Minister of the Interior, calling on all forces that identify with democratic values ​​to distance themselves from the attacks without hesitation.

According to Piantedosi, the facts demonstrate that the violent groups are targeting not only the Turin-Lyon construction site, but also the law enforcement personnel charged with protecting it.

The political debate on security

The clashes immediately fueled the conflict between the majority and the opposition. Government officials raised concerns about the possible presence of internationally organized groups and the need to strengthen prevention and repression tools.

Prime Minister Antonio Tajani spoke of premeditated and organized attacks, arguing that there may be links between the Chiomonte incidents and other recent demonstrations that have resulted in violence.

The majority's statements provoked a reaction from the opposition, which condemned the attacks but accused the government of using the clashes to politically undermine opposing parties.

Schlein: "The violence is unacceptable, but the government is exploiting it."

Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein condemned the violence "without ifs and buts," expressing solidarity and closeness to the injured officers.

Schlein, however, accused the government of exploiting the incidents to attribute the opposition's alleged collusion with rival groups. The Democratic Party leader reiterated that her party has no ties to extremist and violent groups and that, on several occasions, the democratic forces themselves have been targeted by similar groups.

According to the Democratic Party secretary, institutions and politicians should work together to isolate those responsible, reduce tensions, and strengthen intelligence activities, especially when foreign groups participate in the demonstrations.

The Chief of Police in Val di Susa

After the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister inspected the area, Police Chief Vittorio Pisani remained in the Susa Valley along with Police Commissioner Massimo Gambino and Prefect Donato Cafagna.

Pisani visited the areas most affected by the devastation and met with officers guarding the construction sites, conveying the solidarity of public safety officials.

The Chief of Police's presence confirms the attention paid to public order in the Valley, where security has been strengthened and investigative efforts to identify the perpetrators of the attacks will continue.

Turin-Lyon once again at the centre of the clash

This event brings the Susa Valley and the Turin-Lyon project back to the center of national debate. For over twenty years, the project has been the subject of strong opposition from the No Tav movement, which disputes the utility, environmental impact, and cost of the infrastructure.

Over time, protests organized by local citizens and activists have been joined by opposing groups from other Italian regions and several European countries. This presence has periodically transformed demonstrations near the construction sites into moments of intense tension.

After the latest attacks, the government is aiming to reaffirm the continuation of the work and the state's presence. On the judicial front, the Turin Prosecutor's Office's investigation will clarify who organized the attacks, what individual responsibilities were, and whether there were any structured connections between the various groups involved.