More than 60 representatives of the Italian law enforcement forces were injured on Saturday in clashes with opponents of the construction of the Turin-Lyon high-speed railway in northern Italy, the Corriere della Sera newspaper writes.
The publication clarifies that about 20 thousand demonstrators who joined the festival of the No Tav movement ("No high-speed trains") gathered to protest against the construction of a high-speed railway. Shortly after the start of the march, its participants split up and began to attack a number of sites where work is underway on the construction of the tunnel, with the most violent actions taking place in Kiomonte.
"They break through the fences and penetrate the construction site, starting to smash it. Stones, fireworks and Molotov cocktails are flying. Four cars of the law enforcement forces were set on fire, more than sixty law enforcement officers were injured,"the article says.
According to the newspaper, the law enforcement forces used water cannons and tear gas, but this was not enough: the protesters were well equipped and sowed panic.
Due to the unrest, train traffic between the cities of Bussoleno and Borgone was suspended for some time, and one of the sections of the highway was closed.
The project for the construction of a high-speed railway between Lyon and Turin, supported by the European Union, provides for the construction of a tunnel through the Alps with a length of 57.5 kilometers. Its value is estimated at more than 26 billion euros.