Twenty thousand people participated in the annual No TAV march in Italy’s Susa Valley on 25 July. At the Maddalena construction site in Chiomonte, protesters clashed with police and successfully breached the site where they set fire to the control room, equipment, and at least 4 police vehicles. At the San Didero site, protesters tore down the outer fences but were then repelled by police. At least 16 protesters were hospitalised and the damage was reported at 1 million EUR. Police union chief Domenico Pianese claimed  530 mobile units had been deployed to the region from across Italy and that at least 60 officers had been injured.

The NoTav campaign has been ongoing for 30 years and direct action has become normalised at yearly protests. Nevertheless, members of Italy’s government have declared “full solidarity” with the police in the face of the protester’s “guerilla warfare”. Under the far-right Meloni government, Italy has seen a crackdown on protest including raids and arrests and the eviction of longstanding social centres.

The past months have also seen a rise in isolated attacks on targets associated with greenhouse gas emissions, destructive renewable energy, and the construction of prisons for migrants. Statements from groups in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland have claimed actions against cement mixers, charging stations, construction equipment, a power station serving two microchip factories, and several railway switches—among them the eighth sabotage claimed by ‘Kommando Angry Birds’.