Italian Embassies Panic!

From Reuters

Italy facing attacks by international anarchists, foreign minister says

January 31, 2023

By Alvise Armellini

ROME, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks linked to the case of the hunger-striking Alfredo Cospito, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.

Cospito, 55, is an Italian anarchist who has been on a hunger strike for more than 100 days to protest against being jailed under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime.

"We are raising security in all of our embassies and consulates because at the moment international anarchists are mobilised against the Italian state," Tajani told a news conference in Rome.

In December, a Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for an arson attack outside an Italian diplomat's home, calling it an act of solidarity with Cospito.

Tajani called it the most serious incident to date, but reported that numerous other attacks, acts of vandalism and demonstrations have taken place since November.

Italian embassies, consulates or culture institutes have been targeted in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, he said.

On Monday, Cospito was moved from a prison in Sardinia to one in Milan with better healthcare facilities, as had been asked by the national ombudsman for prisoners.

The prisoner, who has lost more than 40 kg (88 lb) and is reportedly so weak that he struggles to walk and keep warm, is surviving on water, sugar and honey.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has ruled out easing his detention regime, saying it cannot give in to threats or acts of terrorism.

The "41 bis", normally reserved for top Mafia bosses, is designed to prevent inmates from communicating with affiliates outside.

Cospito was placed under the regime in May, after he wrote articles from prison calling on fellow anarchists to continue their armed struggle.

He is serving time for a non-fatal shooting of a nuclear energy manager in 2012 and a double bomb attack on a police academy in 2016, which caused no injuries.

Cospito has been sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment, but prosecutors have appealed for it to be made a life term, with no parole possibilities.

(This story has been refiled to fix typo in headline)

[1/4] A Carabinieri police officer walks past a writing on a wall asking for freedom for Italian anarchist Alfredo Cospito, who is in jail under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime, in Rome, Italy, January 31, 2023. Writing on the wall reads: "Free Alfredo. No to 41 bis". REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

[2/4] Police officers stand near a writing on a wall asking for freedom for Italian anarchist Alfredo Cospito, who is in jail under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime, in Rome, Italy, January 31, 2023. Writing on the wall reads: "Free Alfredo. No to 41 bis". REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

[3/4] Police and Carabinieri officers work near a writing on a wall asking for freedom for Italian anarchist Alfredo Cospito, who is in jail under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime, in Rome, Italy, January 31, 2023. Writing on the wall reads: "Free Alfredo. No to 41 bis". REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

[4/4] Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Antonio Tajani attends a news conference on the day of the IX Euro-Mediterranean Summit (EU-MED9) in Alicante, Spain, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

From AP News

Italy on alert amid anarchist attacks on diplomatic missions

By COLLEEN BARRY, January 31, 2023

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s government has increased security at its diplomatic missions around the globe in response to “a crescendo of terroristic attacks” by an informal anarchist network acting in solidarity with an imprisoned Italian militant, the foreign minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cited nearly a dozen attacks since the end of November, ranging from vandalism to explosive devices that have caused damage to Italian diplomatic targets in Argentina, Bolivia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. No injuries have been reported.

“It is obvious that there is an international solidarity (among anarchists) and therefore an attack against Italy, against Italian institutions, is being carried out across the world,” Tajani said, adding that security was being raised at all Italian embassies and consulates as well as the foreign ministry.

Tajani said they believe the network includes both Italians and anarchists from other countries acting in concert. He referred to graffiti scrawled in Catalan on the building housing the Italian Consulate in Barcelona.

The most serious of the attacks was the firebombing of two cars at the residence of an Italian diplomat in Athens in early December — one car was torched, and Tajani said only the failure of the second bomb targeting a car inside the garage of the residence and near a gas line averted worse consequences.

The attacks and as well as a series of protests, including one planned Tuesday in Madrid, are in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, who has been on a hunger strike since October to protest a strict prison regime reserved for terrorists and mafiosi. The 55-year-old militant is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting in the leg an energy executive for a state-controlled company and 20 years for a series of dynamite attacks in Italy.

An appeals court in Turin last spring toughened his prison conditions to include solitary confinement except for one hour a day and a strict limit of family visits. The regime is imposed on prisoners who are considered to pose a danger even from inside prison.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said that the fact of the attacks only reinforces the necessity of the regime in Cospito’s case.

Cospito’s lawyers are currently appealing the strict conditions.

In the meantime, Cospito has been transferred from Sardinia to a prison south of Milan, which Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said was best equipped to deal with the health challenges of the hunger strike.

In Italy, anarchists on Monday torched cars belonging to the TIM telecommunications company, scrawling slogans denouncing Cospito’s treatment nearby. This weekend, a small group of his supporters clashed with police in Rome and two incendiary devices were lobbed in the parking lot of a police station in the capital. No one was injured.

The gutted remains of cars are parked following an attack claimed by an anarchist network in Rome Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Italy has increased security around its diplomatic missions around the globe in response to what the foreign minister called “a crescendo of terroristic attacks” by an anarchist network that has been acting in solidarity with an imprisoned Italian militant. The attacks, as well as a series of protests, are in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, who has been on a hunger strike since October to protest a strict prison regime reserved for terrorists and mafiosi. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks in Rome Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Italy has increased security around its diplomatic missions around the globe in response to what the foreign minister called “a crescendo of terroristic attacks” by an anarchist network that has been acting in solidarity with an imprisoned Italian militant. The attacks and as well as a series of protests, are in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, who has been on a hunger strike since October to protest a strict prison regime reserved for terrorists and mafiosi. (Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP)