Florence Mayor Dario Nardella on
Friday decried the "disturbing" images of police charges against
students demonstrating in Pisa and Florence in support of the
Palestinian population caught up in the Israel-Hamas war.
"The images of police charges on students in Pisa and Florence
are disturbing," said Nardella on X, formerly Twitter.
"Using violence against those who peacefully demonstrate their
political dissent is not acceptable," added the exponent of the
centre-left opposition Democratic Party (Pd).
Pisa Mayor Michele Conti similarly expressed his condemnation of
the police violence.
"What happened has deeply saddened me as a citizen and a parent,
even before it has saddened me as a mayor," said Conti, who
leads a centre-right majority in the Tuscan city.
"I called the police chief and the prefect this morning to ask
for an account of what happened and I reiterated to both of them
that everyone must be free to express their thoughts, always,
and that Pisa has always been a place of encounter and
discussion," he added.
Earlier Pisan lawmaker of the right-wing League expressed
solidarity with police in the city for the "physical pressure
from Pro-Palestine demonstrators".
Police authorities said the Pisa protest had been attended by
more than 100 people, for the most part by lower and upper
secondary school students.
In a statement Pisa University expressed its "deep concern and
dismay" over "the clashes that occurred this morning in the city
centre, (and) which apparently caused the injury of university
students and high school students".
"Pending clarification on the incident and on the conduct of the
police forces, it is hoped that all the competent authorities
will intervene to guarantee a correct and peaceful democratic
dialectic, protecting the safety of the population and the
student community".
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