( Forbes )
Naples, capital of Italy’s Campania region, has seen violent protests and rioting on the first night of curfew as regional president Vincenzo De Luca warns a lockdown is imminent. Friday also saw another record high for positive coronavirus cases in Italy, with 19,143 new infections.
The southern Campania region’s first night of curfew on Friday saw hundreds of protesters take to the streets demonstrating against stringent regional measures to curb the COVID-19 spread. According to local reports, protesters were carrying signs reading "Against De Luca" and "You close us you pay us".
The demonstrations descended into violence with rioters vandalizing cars, setting fire to bins, and throwing bottles and fireworks at police officers. Some demonstrators reportedly encircled police cars, opened the doors and attacked officers within. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges.
A video released by Sky Tg24 news channel also shows demonstrators attacking a reporter and film crew during a broadcast, who had to flee as objects were thrown at them.
Reports suggest the protesters were mainly young people and were not business owners who had demonstrated peacefully the previous night.
Naples police commissioner Alessandro Giuliano said, "Tonight we witnessed real criminal behavior towards the police. No conditions of discomfort, however humanly understandable, can in any way justify the violence." These are the first clashes or demonstrations of this kind seen in Italy since the beginning of the coronavirus emergency.
Campania’s schools are closed until the end of the month and there is a nighttime curfew imposed from 11pm to 5am. De Luca has also announced on Facebook his intention to impose a regional lockdown imminently.
“Current data on the contagion make any kind of partial measure ineffective. We have to close everything, except for those businesses that produce and transport essential goods,” he said. “We need to make one last effort to get things under control. We need to shut everything down for a month, for 40 days,” he added, though he did not give a time frame for when the closure would begin.
De Luca’s tough coronavirus measures are in line with advice from scientific experts urging tougher measures as Italy’s infection rate soars. On Friday, the country recorded 19,143 new positive cases, a seven-fold rise since the start of the month.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is still determined to avoid a second lockdown over fears the already fragile economy would not survive, but medical advisors are urging stricter national regulations. A group of leading researchers and scientists have written an open letter to Conte pushing for immediate intervention.
“The longer you wait, the measures you eventually take will have to be tougher, last longer and thus inflict a greater economic impact,” they wrote.