Bologna woke up after a night full of tension, damage and political controversy due to clashes that occurred last night during demonstrations against the Virtus-Maccabi Euroleague match. The day after the violence, Mayor Matteo Lepore – who had requested and insisted that the games be postponed – pointed the finger at the Ministry of Interior and spoke of “reckless management of public order”. In a press release at the Palazzo d’Accursio, the mayor denounced what he defined as “a choice forced by Minister Piantedosi”, in contrast to the orientation of the Bologna Public Order Committee: “A guerrilla scene that could have been avoided. I had asked to use the head and not the muscles, and unfortunately this is the result”.
According to Lepore, the city would be “used” for political infighting: “To me, Piantedosi seems to be in trouble. When a minister needs to exert his power, it means that he is unable, by his policy, to achieve results. All Italian citizens are dissatisfied with the government’s management of security”.
Lepore spoke openly about “unworthy exploitation” and about “testosterone clashes between a extremist groups and the Minister of Home Affairs“, reiterating that the match “should be played, but not in the city center”. The mayor recalled how Paladozza was always considered a vulnerable place from the point of view of public order: “The National Police Headquarters always asked not to host external fans, because managing ultras is very difficult. Instead the minister brought thousands of demonstrators right under Paladozza. This is a big responsibility.” x
Damage 100 thousand euros and 14 officers injured
The first damage estimate is around 100 thousand euros for the public sector alone, and damage to private vehicles will increase in the next few hours. Lepore expressed his solidarity with residents who “they had a real curfew“, to the police forces who were “deployed in a difficult context” and to the injured officers, which according to the National Police Headquarters increased to 14 people. Fifteen people have been identified, while the examination of many videos is still ongoing. Regarding the losses, the Mayor, when asked about the possibility of sending a compensation bill to the minister, answered: “Yes, because I think the minister should know that there is a lot of damage and it is normal for someone to pay”.
Piantedosi’s reply: “The violent professionals stopped thanks to the police”
Minister of Home Affairs Matteo Piantedosi responded with a note praising the work of the police and condemning the demonstrators responsible for the clashes: “We are witnessing another situation where on the one hand there are people looking for vulgar pretexts to commit unacceptable violence; on the other, the police, the bulwark of true democratic values”. The head of the Ministry of Interior expressed his solidarity with the fourteen agents and assured that “the ongoing investigation will identify those responsible”, noting that fifteen people have already been identified. “Once again something has been prevented a noisy minority to influence everyone’s freedom. Our government will never allow it”. Lastly, the minister expressed his “full appreciation and support” to the prefect, the police commissioner and all the staff involved in the field, thanking them “for the firmness and balance they have shown”. But this political controversy is only the beginning. Meanwhile, Bologna is counting the losses and asking that what happened “should not happen again”.
