Meloni and Piantedosi in Val di Susa following the No Tav attacks: "Organised violence"

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, arrived in Val di Susa this morning for an inspection, following the unrest that broke out on Saturday during the No Tav march. After landing at Caselle, the Prime Minister and the Minister boarded a helicopter to reach the construction site, where they were met by the Chief of Police, Vittorio Pisani, the Prefect, Donato Cafagna, and the Turin Police Commissioner, Massimo Gambino.

Telt, the French company responsible for building and managing the cross-border section of the Turin–Lyon line, has estimated the damage caused by the attack on the construction site at around one million euros. “This is not dissent; this is organised, premeditated violence, and as such it must be treated,” the Prime Minister stated in a video recorded during her visit. Meloni went on to add: “We will do everything we can to bring these people to justice, and we also call on those responsible – the judiciary and all investigators – to do their utmost, because a normal state cannot tolerate such behaviour.”

“There is an international network of violence and disorder that uses any issue as a pretext to engage in hooliganism and pure violence,” said Piantedosi in an interview published today by the Corriere della Sera. The movements responsible for the unrest present the institutions with a challenge that Piantedosi describes as “typically criminal: they exploit democratic freedoms to carry out outright acts of guerrilla warfare”.

The minister goes on to appeal to all democratic forces, urging them to distance themselves from extremists “without hesitation or pretence”. After all, the ambiguity shown by some political parties towards their opponents is nothing new: historically, progressive forces have distanced themselves from violent movements, relegating such practices and their proponents to the political sphere of fascism, as editor Claudio Cerasa wrote today in "Il Foglio".

As for the maintenance of public order, Piantedosi defends the conduct of the police: “Their efforts in Val di Susa prevented greater damage and trouble from occurring.” He condemns the attacks carried out against the officers: “To attack them is to attack the State. And unfortunately, certain doubts and a certain prejudicial mistrust of an ideological nature sometimes expressed towards them do not always help to isolate the violent individuals”. In this regard, reference is made to the case of Abderrahim Fakir, which Piantedosi describes as a “very painful tragedy” and in relation to which he expresses “full solidarity” with Mayor Matteo Lepore “as with anyone who receives threats”.

When asked whether the answer to these challenges lies in new measures, Piantedosi expresses his support, stating that security “is a crucial issue and warrants the ongoing maintenance of relevant regulations”. He then lists the government’s achievements in this area: a sharp fall in arrivals, an increase in repatriations, and a general decline in crime.

Finally, on the subject of a possible change of leadership at the ministry sought by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Piantedosi cuts to the chase: “It is not for me to decide. Salvini was an excellent Home Secretary; he would prove his worth by returning to the Home Office.”