Ten No-Tav activists were convicted in Turin on Wednesday for their involvement in a violent confrontation with law enforcement officers in the Susa Valley on July 24, 2020. Among the contested incidents was the injury of police commander Gianmaria Sertorio, now the police chief of Aosta, who was struck in the head by a long pole during the clash. Judges imposed prison sentences ranging from eleven to twenty-four months.
The clash occurred when police moved to dismantle barricades erected by the No-Tav protesters along a pathway near the Chiomonte construction site. Defense lawyers stated in court that a demonstrator had brought the pole intending to plant it as a boundary marker in front of the police cordon. Video evidence showed the pole being gripped simultaneously by a police officer and several protesters.
This escalated into a tug-of-war, causing the pole to fall sideways. It struck both Commander Sertorio and a police commissioner. The defense maintained the incident was accidental.