Six correctional officers at Porto Azzurro prison on Elba Island (Livorno) were transported to Portoferraio Hospital’s emergency room under yellow-code triage protocols following inmate riots late Tuesday afternoon. Some sustained smoke inhalation injuries after prisoners assaulted staff and ignited furnishings in at least two cells.
According to reports, the officers intervened to extinguish blazes deliberately set by inmates within the penitentiary, resulting in their intoxication. The Autonomous Union of Penitentiary Police (Sappe) regional secretary Francesco Oliviero condemned the violence, stating: “We can no longer tolerate this escalation. We demand the immediate removal of responsible inmates and decisive action from Penitentiary Administration leadership. Prison police are not cannon fodder – we demand safety, respect, and concrete answers.”
Oliviero detailed the incident: “At approximately 4:30 PM today, three North African inmates instigated severe disturbances in their ordinary detention section. They demanded unrestricted open-cell privileges, and upon staff refusal, escalated to destruction and assaults. Order was only restored through staff professionalism and courage, aided by the local Support Group’s prompt intervention.”
The union leader warned that indiscriminate transfers of highly problematic inmates from other Tuscan facilities are turning Porto Azzurro into a “powder keg ready to explode.” He called for urgent operational changes and inmate screening reforms, noting: “Today’s toll is dire: four officers injured by violence and smoke inhalation required ER treatment. This follows another brutal officer assault just 24 hours prior.”
Riproduzione riservata © Copyright ANSA