As feared by the mayor, Matteo Lepore, urban guerrilla warfare broke out in downtown Bologna, during a pro-Palestinian demonstration organized for the Virtus Bologna – Maccabi Tel Aviv Euroleague match, scheduled at PalaDozza. After the initial moments of tension, escalation occurred quickly: theuse of fire hydrantsIthrowing paper bombssmoke bombs and improvised barricades turned the streets between via Lame, via Marconi, Ugo Bassi and piazza Malpighi into a battlefield of widespread conflict.
From barricades to throwing smoke bombs: dynamics of clashes
The situation worsened when, near the Tper counter on via Lame, several demonstrators got off their horses part of the tram construction site, dragging rubbish, barriers, wooden bats and other materials onto the street to build barricades. From there the first smoke bombs and objects were thrown, including glass bottles and even fireworks aimed at head height towards the police. Police responded by using water cannon, attempting to disperse the crowd which meanwhile split into small groups, difficult to contain and follow on central streets. Furthermore, charges were made to expel a group of demonstrators in the city center of Bologna via Rivareno. The police ran about 200 metershitting the demonstrators, both along the street and under the portico, and pushing them back onto the Via Galliera.
From 7 pm until the fragmentation of the procession
Based on the results of the reconstruction of the National Police Headquarters, the procession started at 19.00 from Piazza Maggiore involving around 5,000 people. The opening banner read “Show Israel the Red Card” and many protesters brandished red cards, waving hundreds of Palestinian flags. There are also those who bring it “bloody” basketball.a symbol of protest against Maccabi Tel Aviv’s presence in the city. Arriving through Lame at around 19.40, the crowd stopped for several minutes. It is at this stage that groups are formed he started covering his face and to collect materials from construction sites. At around 8 p.m., the first wave of launches began: a number of smoke bombs, bottles, blunt objects, followed by fireworks shot at the police. The response was immediate: the activation of water cannons and the formation of defensive lines to contain the most heated wave of protests.
The procession dispersed: the group headed for Marconi, Ugo Bassi and Malpighi
With the pressure of the water cannons and the advance of the police, the procession began to break up. Some groups moved towards Via Malpighi, others took Via Ugo Bassi and still others towards Via Marconi, where the throwing of smoke bombs and materials taken from construction sites continued. The situation remained tense for a long time even after the main bloc was disbanded, with smaller groups moving in, it was difficult to contain. The demonstration, under intermittent rain, opened with chants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. An imposing police presence accompanied the entire procession from the start from Piazza Maggiore, due to fears – later confirmed – that an accident would occur.
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