Turin, 29/11/2025 – Total News Agency – TNA. – Around a hundred pro-Palestinian activists violently stormed the headquarters of the newspaper La Stampa in Turin this Friday, taking advantage of the security vacuum left by the national journalists' strike against the budget law.
The attack occurred around 2:00 PM local time at the headquarters on via Lugaro, when a radical faction broke away from a large union protest against the financial maneuver of the Meloni government. Protesters, many wearing balaclavas, forced doors, smashed offices, sprayed intimidating graffiti, and scattered documents. This attack has unleashed a wave of condemnation across the board, from the government of Giorgia Meloni to the opposition, including President Sergio Mattarella.
President Mattarella sent a note to the Editorial Committee (Cdr) with a «firm condemnation of the violent intrusion» and «solidarity with the journalists», emphasizing that «freedom of the press is a bulwark against abuses of power». The aggression, linked to the newspaper's coverage of the expulsion of a local imam, revives fears about press freedom in Italy, on the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine and amidst massive protests against the «war economy».
The assailants, according to claims on Instagram from collectives like Ksa (Autonomous Student Collective), Autonomous University Collective, and the social center Askatasuna, accused the newspaper of «propaganda against Shahin, an opponent of al-Sisi in Egypt» and of «distorting the reality in Palestine». Among the inscriptions were «Journalist terrorists, you are the first on the list», «Accomplices of the genocide in Gaza», and a banner reading «Free Shahin».
Inside, chaos reigned: they piled up and threw books and newspapers into the air, overturned chairs and desks, and covered the walls with red and black spray paint. The National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI) called for «coordinated prevention», describing it as a «qualitative leap in antagonistic violence».
The institutional response was immediate and unified, a rare consensus in polarized Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni phoned director Andrea Malaguti to express «absolute solidarity» and describe the incident as «extremely serious, deserving the most absolute condemnation». The mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, inspected the damage and promised «greater protection for symbols of free information».
Imam Shahin, of the San Salvario mosque, who is facing a deportation order signed by Minister Matteo Piantedosi and described as a «concrete threat to security» due to his «anti-Semitic religious radicalization» and contacts with fundamentalists, became the central figure of the conflict. His case and the press coverage of his situation became the pretext for the attack.
«We are not afraid, we will continue to do our job,» the editorial committee stated. The attack on an iconic newspaper like La Stampa, founded in 1867, fuels the debate about the limits of activism in a country where 64% of the population see the Gaza crisis as «very serious».
There are no arrests yet, but complaints are expected for damages, breaking and entering, and threats. The incident overshadowed Friday's demonstrations, which were part of a general strike protesting military spending and Italian support for Israel, coinciding with the Day of Solidarity with Palestine.