Police beat pro-Palestinian schoolchildren in Italy, spark outrage
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Police in the Tuscan cities of Florence and Pisa block student marches, wielding truncheons against young protesters in Pisa.
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A demonstrator holds a placard reading in Italian: 'Never Again Means Never Again Anyone', during a demonstration in support of Palestinians, in Rome, Saturday, January 27, 2024. (AP)
On Friday, footage depicting police beating pro-Palestinian students garnered widespread condemnation in Italy. The opposition demanded that the interior minister address parliament regarding the incident.
Police in the Tuscan cities of Florence and Pisa blocked student marches, with images of officers using truncheons on young protesters in Pisa sparking outrage on social media and among politicians.
a #Pisa cariche indiscriminate e arresti a corteo studenti per la #Palestina pic.twitter.com/7KUmsijezn
— mario cipriani (@mariocipriani1) February 23, 2024
The videos depicted students, seemingly protesting peacefully, retreating amid a barrage of blows from law enforcement officers clad in helmets and full riot gear.
"Is this how you beat your own children?" one young woman is heard shouting.
Government has fostered a 'climate of repression'
Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left Democratic Party, shared on Facebook a video depicting "unacceptable" scenes of "students trapped in an alleyway, charged and beaten by the police."
a #Pisa cariche indiscriminate e arresti a corteo studenti per la #Palestina pic.twitter.com/7KUmsijezn
— mario cipriani (@mariocipriani1) February 23, 2024
She criticized Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government, elected in 2022 with promises to tackle illegal immigration and enforce law and order, for fostering a "climate of repression" in the country.
As of now, there has been no immediate comment from the government regarding the police conduct.
#Firenze cariche di polizia e carabinieri contro la manifestazione in solidarietà con la #Palestina Anche a #catania cariche e manganelli sulla manifestazione di studenti e studentesse a supporto della Palestina che cercava di raggiungere Piazza Duomo. pic.twitter.com/mvzMVjStZT
— Oss Repressione (@OssRepressione) February 23, 2024
Enzo Letizia, the head of ANFP, a police trade union, stated that student protests are allegedly infiltrated by "expert instigators," and emphasized that judgments should be reserved until an inquiry into the incidents has been conducted.
Children were 'trembling and shocked'
Teachers at Pisa's Russoli High School, located near the street where the protest occurred and attended by some of the involved students, expressed being "stunned" by the treatment of the protesters, the majority of whom were minors.
dopo #Pisa e #Firenze da #Catania le immagini delle cariche agli studenti che manifestano per la #Palestina pic.twitter.com/q4nwlF7yEA
— mario cipriani (@mariocipriani1) February 23, 2024
"We found boys and girls from our classes trembling and shocked ... from the beatings they received," the teachers said in a statement, demanding that someone be held responsible for the "shameful day".
Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who leads the left-leaning 5-Star Movement, described the images as "worrying" and stated they were "not worthy of our country."
