Investigation against 15 police officers
Italy’s president criticizes police violence in Pisa
February 26, 2024, 11:37 p.m
A harsh police operation against young people at a pro-Palestinian demonstration sparks outrage in Italy. The President of the State, Sergio Mattarella, and several trade unions criticize the procedure and demand clarification.
In Italy, an aggressive police operation against young people at a pro-Palestinian demonstration has sparked widespread outrage. The leaders of several Italian unions called for the police officers responsible to be identified at a meeting with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
As can be seen in footage of the operation, which was distributed by numerous media outlets, the police attacked the unarmed and unmasked young people at the protest event in the central Italian university town of Pisa a few days ago and beat them with batons. According to media reports, the public prosecutor’s office in Pisa is now investigating 15 police officers, but the authority initially left a query about this unanswered.
According to reports, the young people – mostly students – were protesting for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. “What message do young people get from the clubs that fell on their heads and those of their comrades during a peace demonstration?” a group of teachers asked in a joint statement.
“Authority is not determined by batons”
President Sergio Mattarella, who is committed to non-partisanship and respected across party lines, expressed exceptionally clear criticism of the police operation in a statement. It said that Mattarella had advised Interior Minister Piantedosi that “the authority of the security forces is not determined by batons, but by the ability to ensure security while at the same time protecting the freedom of the public.” “to protect public expression of opinion”. The use of clubs against young people is “an expression of failure.”
The head of the left-wing trade union CGIL, Maurizio Landini, said after the meeting with Piantedosi that it was “serious” that young people aged 15 or 16 “are being beaten or bludgeoned because they demonstrate”. The head of the centrist UIL union, Pier Paolo Bombardieri, called for “clear identification of those responsible”.
Piantedosi, a confidant of the deputy head of government and head of the right-wing national party Lega Matteo Salvini, promised an internal investigation into the incidents and spoke of “isolated cases”. The ultra-right head of government Giorgia Meloni has not yet commented on the incidents.