Overview
- Demonstrations over the closure of the Askatasuna social center drew an estimated 15,000 participants according to police and about 50,000 according to organizers.
- Violence flared in the evening as masked groups hurled stones and Molotov cocktails, set barricades and a police vehicle on fire, and officers responded with tear gas and water cannon.
- Video shows a 29-year-old officer beaten and struck with a hammer while on the ground before colleagues pulled him to safety, and authorities say he is not in life-threatening condition.
- About ten people were arrested during the unrest and two suspects face arrest warrants, with police reviewing footage to identify additional assailants.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi condemned the attacks as an assault on the state, and the government has signaled forthcoming security measures.