Italian diplomats have been smashed in Berlin and Barcelona. Unknown persons set fire to the car of an embassy employee in Berlin on Friday evening, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday. The Berlin police confirmed the incident upon request. According to a spokeswoman, the diplomatic car of an employee of the Italian embassy caught fire early Friday morning in Berlin-Schöneberg. State security is investigating that the police assume arson. It was initially unclear whether the action was directed specifically against the diplomat or against the Italian government. No one was injured in the incident. In Berlin it happens regularly that cars are set on fire.
In Barcelona, windows were smashed at the Italian consulate general and a wall in the entrance area was defaced, the Italian foreign ministry said. No one was injured there either. The graffiti point to anarchists as the perpetrators.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that her government is “monitoring these new cases of violence against our officials and diplomatic missions with concern and vigilance”. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani asked whether Italy’s diplomatic missions and employees should be better protected in the future.
In early December, the car of an embassy employee in Athens was attacked with Molotov cocktails and set on fire. A Greek anarchist group later claimed responsibility for the crime.
According to media reports, security authorities in Italy are investigating a link between the recent incidents and the hunger strike of imprisoned anarchist Alfredo Cospito. The 55-year-old is being held in a prison in Sardinia for a 2006 police academy bombing and the 2012 shooting of a manager. Because the state classifies him as a dangerous terrorist, he is subjected to the harshest prison conditions – normally reserved for are up to top mafiosi. Because of this, he has been on hunger strike for about 100 days.
Photos from the consulate showed the graffiti demanding amnesty and freedom for Cospito. (aeg/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
