A fierce debate over press freedom has erupted in Italy after the newsroom of La Stampa was raided, occupied, and vandalised by left-wing, pro-Palestinian activists.
The assault took place on Friday in Turin, home to the national headquarters of La Stampa, one of Italy’s oldest newspapers.
It came amid a nationwide strike called by several unions to protest the government’s 2026 budget—dubbed a “war budget” for its cuts to public services and increased military spending.
Several dozen demonstrators broke away from the march to target La Stampa, which was empty as journalists were participating in the strike. Protesters were reacting to coverage of a recent expulsion order against Mohamed Shahin, a local imam accused of ties to Hamas, whom they claimed had been unfairly stigmatised by the media.
The demonstrators hurled bags of manure at the gates, sprayed graffiti, and forced open a side entrance. Inside the newsroom, desks were overturned, equipment damaged, and threatening messages—including pro-Palestinian slogans—scrawled across the walls.
While months of pro-Palestinian protests had seen activists accuse the Italian press of downplaying or ignoring Israel’s actions, the violence at La Stampa marked an unprecedented escalation.
The attack has intensified long-standing tensions between the right-wing government and the opposition, highlighting tensions between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party.
While critics accuse Meloni of undermining press independence, the government points to violent groups and their institutional backers on the Left as the real threat, claiming they label attacks as “fascist” to tie them to the Right and draw international attention.
In her first comment on the assault, Meloni wrote on X: “One does not downplay or reverse the facts. Anyone attempting to rewrite reality to lessen the severity of what happened is making a dangerous mistake. Press freedom is a pillar of our democracy and must always be defended without ambiguity.”
Her remarks were aimed at left-wing politicians and media outlets that described the attack as “fascist”, framing it as a right-wing act while overlooking its left-wing and pro-Palestinian nature.
These actors have long linked threats against journalists to a climate of tension in Italy, blaming government pressure on the media—including attempts to influence RAI, the public broadcaster, often dubbed “TeleMeloni”— as part of a broader effort to control public reporting and curb press independence.
Schlein has repeatedly warned that press freedom is at risk, citing attacks on journalists and a hostile climate toward the media.
At the Congress of the Party of European Socialists in Amsterdam last October, she referenced the attack on journalist Sigfrido Ranucci—for which no far-right link has been found—and said: “Democracy and press freedom are at risk when the extreme right is in government,” framing the incident within a broader hostile environment under Meloni.
Amid the fallout, Fratelli d’Italia, Meloni’s party, invited Schlein to the upcoming Atreju festival, an annual youth-focused political event organised by the party, for a public debate with Meloni and other opposition leaders.
Schlein has not yet confirmed whether she will attend.
