Premier's party threatened over high-speed rail link

Turin - The party of Premier Matteo Renzi received a threat letter on Thursday from opponents of the encroaching TAV high-speed-rail line around Turin. "You are the true terrorists," said the anonymous missive sent to the Piedmont office of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), in reference to a group of anti-TAV militants arrested in recent months on charges of terrorism. "You can't hide forever behind your machine of servants.
    We'll see you scumbags soon". The letter is the latest in a long series of threats against constructing a rail link between Lyon and Turin.
    In February police and officials received notice from a group called the Armed Operational Nuclei (NOA) that said its "revolutionary court" had condemned them to death for allegedly "repressing" protests against work on the TAV line north of Turin.
    The well-known No-TAV citizens' movement trying to stop the link disassociated itself from the NOA and condemned its actions, saying it objected to "violence against persons".
    The threats come as a chilling reminder of leftist and rightist terrorist campaigns in Italy that left an estimated 2,000 dead between 1969 and 1981.
    Opponents argue the rail link is wasteful of public funds and destroys pristine countryside.
    Supporters say it will cut down on automobile and truck pollution and make shipping and transit more efficient.
    The Italian and French governments have insisted that the link will not only speed passenger and freight traffic but also boost both countries' economies.