9 October 2026 Askatasuna searches
On 9 October 2026, from the early hours of the morning, Turin's state police carry out 14 home searches in various Italian cities targeting antagonist activists under investigation for events during the national demonstration of 31 January 2026 in Turin, held against the eviction of the Askatasuna social centre, which took place on 18 December 2025.[1][2]
The investigation
The searches concern activists for whom public prosecutor Paolo Scafi had requested 19 precautionary measures, ranging from imprisonment to a reporting obligation. According to the social centre's activists, the searches numbered 12 and affected several suspects accused of various offences linked to the 31 January demonstration.[1] Each precautionary measure requires, as a preliminary step, a validation hearing before a judge.[1] Any individual responsibility will have to be established in later stages of the proceedings.[2]
The clashes of 31 January 2026
The national march of 31 January 2026, which according to the social centre's activists was attended by over 50,000 people, had degenerated into clashes with police, fires and episodes of urban unrest.[1][2] The clashes left more than a hundred police officers injured.[2] In the following days, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travelled to Turin to visit two officers injured in the unrest in hospital.[2]
Reactions
Activists from the Askatasuna social centre described the searches as an attempt to pin on individuals the responsibility for what they describe as an outburst of popular anger, linking the case to the eviction of the social centre on 18 December 2025 and to other planned mobilisations, including those set for 24 October 2026 on the themes of rearmament and Palestine.[1]
Related articles: Askatasuna, Searches in Turin over the clashes of 31 January 2026 linked to the eviction of Askatasuna (October 2026)
Sources
- CronacaQui Torino — 9 October 2026
- Quotidiano Piemontese — 9 October 2026