More than 108 police officers were injured in Turin during clashes on city streets during a protest involving 15,000 people against the closure of a far-left social center. After a video showed officers being severely beaten, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X that Italy was dealing with “enemies of the state.”

“We are not dealing with demonstrators, but with individuals who act as enemies of the state. Law enforcement forces are paying for this reality, who have to face a real street battle, as well as some journalists doing their job,” she wrote. “Now let me be clear. These are not protesters. These are organized criminals. When you hit someone with a hammer, you do so knowing that the consequences can be very, very serious. This is not a protest, these are not clashes. This is attempted murder.”

Questa mattina sono stata all’ospedale Le Molinette di Torino per portare, a nome dell’Italia, la solidarietà a due degli agenti rimasti feriti negli scontri di ieri e, attraverso loro, a tutti i militari e gli appartenenti alle Forze dell’ordine coinvolti.

Alessandro ha 29… pic.twitter.com/ahRk0IVnaU

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) February 1, 2026

The protests were sparked by the seizure and closure of the anarchist, anti-capitalist social center Askatasuna by law enforcement in December last year.

🇮🇹🔥"They act as enemies of the state."

After 108 Italian officers were injured in Turin during mass riots by far-left extremists, PM Giorgia Meloni has condemned the rioters as "enemies of the state."

15,000 demonstrators protested the closure of the anarchist "social center"… pic.twitter.com/KLsJKNrpHp

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 2, 2026

Following a 15,000-strong demonstration in defense of the Askatasuna center, which has operated for 30 years, a group of aggressive demonstrators broke away in the capital of Piedmont, Italy. They threw bottles, flares, stones, smoke candles, and metal pipes at officers before attempting to break through the police cordon. A street battle took place, as reported by Italian media, alongside published recordings.

As the head of government assessed, the event was “blind and deliberate violence.” She stressed that defending the law “is not a provocation, but an obligation.” This was her reference to the closure of the Askatasuna center due to ongoing investigations into protests and attacks on institutions, including one targeting the editorial office of the daily La Stampa last year.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that “what happened in Turin confirms who the perpetrators of violence are and who poses a genuine threat to civic coexistence and to our democracy; they are antagonists – guests of illegally occupied social centers that also have political support.”

The Italian government is convening today to discuss public order and to evaluate new provisions for security, wrote Meloni on X.

“We will do what is necessary to restore the rules in this Nation,” she wrote.