Dozens of police officers injured in Milan clashes, one missing as flash floods hit Italy’s Piedmont, and more news from Italy this Tuesday.
Dozens of police officers injured in Milan clashes
At least 60 police officers were injured in Milan on Monday, after a pro-Palestinian protest escalated into a series of violent clashes outside the city’s Centrale railway station, according to La Repubblica.
Dozens of protesters, some dressed in black and others waving the Palestinian flag, threw smoke bombs, bottles and stones at police, who responded by firing tear gas into the crowd.
Footage posted on social media in the aftermath of the clashes showed broken shop windows and furniture laying on the station’s floor.
Of the 60 officers injured in the confrontations, at least 23 were taken to hospital for further medical evaluation and treatment, reports said.
Italy’s ANSA news agency said ten people were arrested following the incident.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the scenes in Milan, saying that violence had “nothing to do with solidarity and will not change the lives of people in Gaza by a fraction”.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also denounced the clashes, saying that support for people in Gaza “should not be wasted or tainted” by violent actions.
One missing as flash floods hit Italy’s Piedmont
A German woman was reported missing in the town of Spigno Monferrato, Piedmont, on Monday, after the area was hit by flash floods following hours of torrential rainfall, according to Il Corriere della Sera.
The missing woman was reportedly trying to leave a local campsite when she lost her footing and was swept away by floodwaters.
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Fifteen people were rescued from the same campsite on Monday, according to Italian media reports.
Search efforts began on Monday afternoon and were ongoing on Tuesday morning, local authorities said.
Besides Piedmont, other northern regions, including Liguria and Lombardy, were hit by flooding on Monday.
In Milan, a school was evacuated and several roads were closed to traffic after the Seveso River burst its banks.
Mudslides were reported in several locations across Lombardy including Como, Monza and Varese.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What do Italy’s storm alerts mean?
Italy’s civil protection department issued a medium-level ‘orange’ weather warning for parts of Lombardy, Veneto and Lazio on Tuesday, urging people to exercise maximum caution when going near waterways and underpasses.
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Son of Italian party founder Beppe Grillo handed 8-year prison sentence for gang rape
A Sardinian court on Monday sentenced Ciro Grillo, son of the founder of Italy’s Five Star Movement (M5S) party Beppe Grillo, to eight years in prison for gang rape.
Two other men received the same punishment, while a third defendant was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Ciro, 25, and the other three defendants were found guilty of raping an Italian-Norwegian student at a Costa Smeralda resort in July 2019.
Beppe Grillo sparked outrage in 2021 when he questioned the victim’s allegations, stating: “It’s all a lie, there was no rape.”
Ciro and his friends were stupid but “not four rapists,” Beppe said at the time.
Ciro’s lawyer said on Monday that his client would appeal the court’s verdict, according to Italy’s ANSA news agency.
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Italy to trial first flight with large dogs in cabin
Italy is set to trial its first flight allowing medium- and large-sized dogs into the cabin on Tuesday, following a change to the country’s air travel regulations earlier this year.
In May, Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC updated its rules to remove the long-standing 8-10kg maximum weight limit for dogs accompanying their owners on planes.
The move was hailed by some news outlets as a “pet travel revolution”, but critics pointed out that the requirement for dogs to be transported in carriers secured to seats would likely exclude larger animals.
Operated by Italian flag carrier ITA, the test flight is scheduled to travel from Milan to Rome, according to La Repubblica.