2026 Susa Valley conflict

The 2026 Susa Valley conflict was a period of unrest in the Susa Valley, Piedmont, Italy, centred on the construction of the Turin–Lyon high-speed railway (TAV). The disorders started on 25 July 2026, when No TAV protesters carried out coordinated attacks against four construction sites and Italian law enforcement near Chiomonte and San Didero, resulting in violent clashes.

Background

The No TAV movement is an Italian protest movement that emerged in the early 1990s in the Susa Valley, Piedmont, in opposition to the construction of the Turin–Lyon high-speed railway (TAV). Initially formed by local residents, environmental organisations, technical experts and local administrators, the movement argues that the project is environmentally harmful, economically unjustified and unnecessary. Over time, it expanded beyond the Susa Valley, becoming one of Italy's longest-running and most prominent protest movements, attracting support from activists, trade unions, political groups and solidarity networks from across Italy and abroad. The movement has organised demonstrations, marches, permanent protest camps, public information campaigns and acts of civil disobedience.

Several episodes have marked periods of heightened tension between protesters and the Italian authorities. In 2005, police cleared the permanent protest camp at Venaus, triggering mass demonstrations that forced the suspension of the construction site and led to the establishment of a government technical observatory. In 2011, authorities dismantled the Maddalena camp in Chiomonte to allow the opening of the exploratory tunnel construction site, followed days later by one of the largest No TAV demonstrations, during which violent clashes left hundreds of protesters and law enforcement officers injured. Further confrontations occurred throughout 2012, as demonstrations against the construction works repeatedly escalated into clashes with police, arrests and criminal investigations.