Lyon-Turin rail protest leaves €1m damage and more than 120 officers injured

A protest against the Lyon-Turin railway project caused about €1 million in damage and left more than 120 police officers injured during clashes at a construction site in northern Italy, officials said.

Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday against the railway project near the French border. Italian authorities said several hundred protesters attacked police officers guarding the construction site at Chiomonte in Piedmont’s Susa Valley, west of Turin.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the site on Monday with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. She described the clashes as “organised, premeditated violence” and said authorities would seek to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that four people had been arrested.

Franco-Italian project company Telt said an initial assessment put the damage at around €1 million. The company said it had not yet determined how long it would take to clear rubble and restore work areas and services inside the tunnel.

Around 10 workers who were at the site during the protest were evacuated and taken to safety, Telt said.

The Lyon-Turin rail project is intended to shorten journey times and reduce road and air travel across the Alpine region. It has faced opposition for more than 30 years.