Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemns a hammer attack on an officer as “attempted murder” while ministers push a faster security decree.
TURIN, ITALY— A large demonstration in Turin over the weekend escalated into hours of street clashes with police, leaving more than 100 members of Italy’s security forces injured, torching dumpsters and damaging property across the Vanchiglia area late Saturday. Authorities said officers were pelted with stones, bottles and fireworks as small, masked groups broke from the main march and confronted riot squads with improvised projectiles and smoke bombs.
Officials said the violence followed a national rally against the December closure of Askatasuna, a long-running anarchist and anti-capitalist social center in the city. The unrest quickly dominated Italy’s political agenda. By Sunday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited injured officers at Turin’s Molinette hospital and ordered top ministers to draw up tougher public-order measures. The government says a security decree already in the works will be accelerated this week. The stakes are immediate: restoring calm in a city shaken by images of an officer beaten on the ground and deciding how far to go in rewriting rules for policing protests.
Police estimate the march drew around 15,000 people on Saturday, beginning peacefully in the afternoon before tensions rose near riverfront streets east of the city center. As night fell, demonstrators in helmets and masks pulled metal grates and street furniture into the roadway, set bins ablaze and tried to breach police lines. Officers responded with water cannons, tear gas and baton charges to push crowds back toward wider boulevards. One officer was surrounded and struck repeatedly, including with a hammer, according to investigators. “When you hit someone with a hammer, you know the consequences can be very serious. This is not protest — this is attempted murder,” Meloni said after meeting wounded officers.
Authorities reported 108 security personnel injured: 96 from the national police, seven from the Guardia di Finanza and five carabinieri. At least three people were arrested, including one in connection with the assault on the officer, and more than 20 face complaints or identification for alleged offenses ranging from possession of makeshift weapons to resisting authorities, according to police briefings. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi praised officers for preventing “even worse” outcomes, calling the violent groups “a danger to democracy.” The carabinieri’s commander, Lt. Gen. Salvatore Luongo, described the hammer assault as an attack on the state. Officials said dozens of incendiary devices, smoke bombs and hand tools were seized. The number of suspects tied to the most serious attack remains under investigation.
The protest centered on Askatasuna, a Turin social space that had been occupied for nearly 30 years and was cleared by police in December after a court order. Activists from across Italy traveled to the city to oppose the eviction, which they cast as part of a wider crackdown on left-wing collectives. Images from the march showed banners linking local grievances to global causes and a tightly packed column of demonstrators advancing through narrow streets. Italy has seen episodic clashes around anarchist or far-left spaces for years, but Saturday’s injuries were among the highest single-day tolls for police in recent memory. A RAI public broadcaster crew said it was attacked while filming; journalism advocates urged a full investigation into assaults on reporters covering the unrest.
The Meloni government is now moving to harden rules on public order. Proposals under discussion include limited preventive detention for known violent actors ahead of high-risk marches, tougher penalties for masked participation in riots, and a form of legal shield to keep officers from being automatically placed under investigation when injuries occur during duty. Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini suggested organizers could be required to post a security deposit that would be forfeited if events turn violent. The cabinet is expected to examine the package Thursday, with ministers signaling that Parliament could be asked to take up the measures quickly after initial approval.
Opposition parties warned against using Turin to justify “authoritarian shortcuts,” saying the state must protect both public safety and the constitutional right to protest. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein said she called Meloni to express support for injured officers but urged the government not to exploit the events for political gain. The Five Star Movement and other center-left groups asked to see the full text before committing to any joint resolution on security. Civil liberties groups said the violence should be prosecuted under existing law rather than by expanding police powers; they also urged accountability where officers may have overstepped during crowd control, an allegation authorities deny.
On the streets of Turin, burned patches and shattered glass marked where bins and barricades went up. Shopfronts along Corso San Maurizio reopened Sunday with security grates still dented. Residents described hours of sirens and flashes from crowd-control munitions echoing off apartment blocks. “You could smell the smoke even up on the third floor,” said Lorenzo B., who lives near the river and watched water cannons maneuver between parked cars. City workers cleared debris as investigators reviewed footage from surveillance cameras and journalists’ videos to identify additional suspects. Hospital officials said most injured officers were treated and released; the officer beaten in the hammer attack suffered broken bones but was reported in stable condition.
As of Tuesday, authorities said the core criminal inquiries focus on the assault on the officer, the use of explosive or incendiary devices and coordinated property damage. Prosecutors are weighing whether to elevate charges in the hammer case from aggravated assault to attempted murder. City officials said they will file for restitution for damaged municipal property once police complete their damage assessment. Nationally, the political debate is widening to include policing standards, limits on face coverings at protests and whether social centers like Askatasuna should be subject to stricter oversight. The next key moment is the cabinet meeting expected Thursday, Feb. 5, when ministers are slated to debate and possibly approve the accelerated security decree.
Author note: Last updated February 3, 2026.