Italy’s interior minister has been asked to launch an investigation into police in the northern city of Brescia after seven female climate change activists were allegedly forced to remove their underwear and do squats during interrogations.
The activists were among 22 people taken to Brescia central police station on Monday morning after police disrupted a protest in front of a factory belonging to Italian aerospace and defense company Leonardo.
Activists claim they suffered degrading treatment at the hands of police officers during their stay.
“They asked me to take off my clothes, remove my underwear and do three squats,” one member of the global environmental movement Extinction Rebellion said in a video posted online. “It’s for a check,” he said.
The woman claimed that the treatment was “limited to women only and not offered to men.”
The same Extinction Rebellion activist made the same claim in another video. Illegal occupation measures usually apply only to those suspected of crimes such as drug trafficking.
The protest, which briefly blocked the entrance to the Leonardo factory, was organized by Extinction Rebellion and its counterpart Last Generation, as well as the Free Palestine protest group.
The activists were detained for about seven hours before being charged with “inciting assembly” and “unannounced demonstration.”
Gilberto Pagani, a lawyer representing the activists, said the seven women intended to file formal charges “within the next few days.”
Although initially denying the charges, Brescia police issued a statement saying that during a separate search in the case of the woman by a female police officer, activists asked her to “bend down to find dangerous objects”. said that it was
It denied any accusations of degrading treatment, adding that “the confidentiality and dignity of people were always respected and correct operating procedures were followed.”
Police accused the activists of “illegal acts” that “undermine public order and safety.” This included forming human chains to prevent trucks from entering and exiting the Leonardo factory and “scattering the walls with writing.”
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The women’s accusations come as parliament is considering a controversial security bill that would criminalize people who obstruct roads and railways, punishing them with fines and up to two years in prison. The right-wing government of President Giorgia Meloni is seeking swift Senate approval of the bill, which was passed by the lower house in September.
Marco Grimaldi, a politician from the Green Left Alliance, called on Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to open an investigation into what happened in Brescia.
Matteo Orfini, a politician from the centre-left Democratic Party, claimed that a similar incident had taken place in Bologna. “The woman was forced to remove her clothes and was subjected to unacceptable treatment,” it added. “We call on Piantedosi to immediately verify and intervene if[the allegations]are confirmed.”
Orfini questioned whether these events were a sign of “a climate created by the government” to exacerbate the situation and “criminalize dissent.”
This article was amended on January 16, 2025 to change the main image. An earlier version depicted Brescia regional police, but was unrelated to the charges.
