Anarchists violently clash with police in Turin, Italy
Fireworks, stones and firebombs were hurled at police as anarchists and other left-wing groups attacked them after officers evicted squatters from a building in Turin. (Video: LAPRESSE, SKY ITALIA via Associated Press.)
Violent clashes broke out at a major protest in Turin, Italy, this weekend as anarchists and leftists attacked police, prompting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to strongly condemn the unrest and promise a strong response.
Video footage from the scene showed black-clad protesters confronting police, with what appeared to be images of objects being thrown at officers and police lines being forced back. Reuters footage showed riot police surrounded by red smoke during clashes linked to a march in support of the Askatasuna social center, which authorities recently evicted. Experts say the building has been occupied by far-left activists for decades.
Clashes broke out with protesters after a march in support of a left-wing social center was expelled by authorities in Turin, Italy, on January 31, 2026. (LaPresse/Sky Italia via Associated Press)
According to Italian authorities, 108 security personnel were injured in the violence. Protesters threw bottles, stones, homemade incendiary devices and smoke bombs, set fire to garbage bins and a police armored vehicle and used street furniture and uprooted lampposts as weapons, European media reported.
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A protester gestures behind a burning waste container in Turin, Italy, January 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)
Meloni responded strongly, warning that violence against police and threats to public order would not be tolerated. In a post on
“This morning I went to Le Molinette Hospital in Turin to express my solidarity on behalf of Italy to two of the officers injured in yesterday’s clashes,” Meloni wrote, adding: “Against them: hammers, Molotov cocktails, paper bombs filled with nails, stones launched from catapults, all kinds of blunt objects and jammers to prevent the police from communicating.”
Quoting an officer, Meloni added: “They were there to kill us.” She further said: “These are not protesters. These are organized criminals. This is attempted murder.”
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A protester runs through smoke as fireworks explode during clashes in Turin, Italy, January 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)
Vidino said the unrest followed what he called the recent “liberation” of Askatasuna, a building occupied for decades by far-left activists, which he described as a catalyst for a broader response.
“What you have here is a network of not only Italian but also European anarchists and communists, with some pro-Palestinian groups,” he said. “It’s a fairly well-established coalition of groups that routinely engage in this kind of violence. Antifa is also part of this coalition. It’s one of the umbrella movements in what happened in Turin.”
Vidino also pointed to links between the groups involved and an earlier attack on the offices of La Stampa, one of Italy’s leading newspapers, which he described as a turning point for the authorities.
“Storming the offices of a major newspaper crossed a red line,” Vidino said.
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On Monday, Meloni said she was chairing a meeting at Palazzo Chigi to assess what she called “serious episodes of violence against the police” and determine measures to ensure public safety.
Tyrmand said the clashes reflect Italy’s long history of militant left-wing activism.
“Italy has a long history of hardcore left-wing organizations,” he said. “They are cut from the same cloth. Marxist movements really stem from their origins.”
“When a right-wing leader like Meloni comes to power, they get extremely excited,” he added. “Violence is their modus operandi. I expect it will be suppressed because Meloni is a tough figure.”
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Protesters wave Palestinian flags and hold banners with the image of Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, who was arrested by Italian authorities for allegedly funding Hamas through charities, during a march in Turin, Italy, on January 31, 2026. (Michele Lapini/Reuters)
He added that the tactics and alliances are similar to those of American street protests and encampments.
“It’s the same dynamic,” Vidino said. “A permanent presence of these networks that quickly mobilize around symbolic goals.”
