Trial over the clashes of 31 January 2026 at Askatasuna
Date of the event:
On 13 November 2026 the Turin Court concluded the first-instance trial of Angelo Francesco Simionato, 22, from the province of Grosseto, accused of taking part in the clashes of 31 January 2026 that followed the eviction of the Askatasuna social centre. The judge acquitted him of causing injury to a police officer and sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended, for the sole offence of resisting a public official.[1][2]
The clashes of 31 January
During the protests that followed the eviction of Askatasuna, a group of hooded people surrounded Alessandro Calista, an officer of the mobile squad from Padua, taking off his helmet and hitting him with a small hammer, kicks and punches while he was on the ground. The assault left the officer with a prognosis of twenty days. Over a hundred police officers were injured in the clashes.[2]
The trial and the verdict
Simionato had been arrested under delayed flagrante and initially also charged with robbery, for taking the officer's helmet, a charge later dropped during the trial. The prosecution, led by public prosecutor Eleonora Sciorella, had sought a four-year sentence for injury and resisting. The defence, led by lawyer Elisabetta Montanari, produced video footage showing the defendant — recognisable by a red jacket and an uncovered face, unlike the other attackers who wore black and hoods — not hitting the officer and moving away from the group after a few moments. The conviction for resisting was based on his throwing an object at the police lines during another phase of the protest. When validating the arrest, the preliminary investigations judge had found that Simionato's staying close to the officer and a pushing motion recorded on video had helped reinforce the action of the co-defendants who struck him directly.[1][2]
The other people arrested
Also arrested under delayed flagrante along with Simionato were Matteo Campaner, 35, a seller of Hungarian pastries at fairs from Grugliasco, defended by lawyer Stefano Coppo, and Pietro Desideri, 31, from Turin, defended by lawyer Gianluca Vitale, both accused of resisting and committing violence against a public official for throwing objects at police. Their cases, like those of dozens of other people who took part in the clashes, proceed separately.[1][2]
Sources
- Scontri del 31 gennaio a Torino, assolto Simionato: «Non ha colpito l'agente Calista» — la Repubblica Torino, 13 November 2026
- Assoluzione e condanna per Angelo Simionato, scontri Askatasuna, martellate — TorinoToday, 13 November 2026