VeneziaToday
Almost no problems on the public order front on Saturday afternoon. The dreaded mobilization of the anarchists was reduced to a demonstration of a few dozen people, who gathered near the Frari basilica with banners and a megaphone to express their solidarity with comrades Sorroche and Cospito. The garrison of the forces of order was instead massive, above all in a preventive key. Since Friday, the checkpoints at the access to the Liberty bridge have sifted through the vehicles entering, causing long queues. Today the agents in riot gear lined up in the various sensitive points of Venice, starting from Campo Santa Margherita, where the rally had been announced.
From 3pm on Saturday, the demonstrators gathered instead in Campo dei Frari, demanding the release of the imprisoned anarchists. They have launched messages in support of various militants, starting with Juan Antonio Sorroche Fernandez, a Spaniard sentenced in the first instance to 28 years in prison for the attack on the headquarters of the League of Villorba (Treviso), who awaits the appeal process in the coming days . And then for Alfredo Cospito, subjected to the harsh prison of 41 bis who for months has been the protagonist of a hunger strike that is complicating his health conditions. A moment of tension occurred at Campo San Rocco as the procession returned towards Piazzale Roma, shortly before 5 pm, with a brief scuffle between demonstrators and the forces of order.
So the concerns of recent days for fear of violent demonstrations have subsided. The “call” spread on the web had created a certain alarm and led the prefecture to convene a safety committee to organize a massive control plan to avoid unrest. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro had issued two ordinances, one to impose conditions on trade in Campo Santa Margherita, with possible limitations on the mobility of pedestrians and water vehicles in the surrounding areas, and the other to prohibit the taking away of bottles. From 6 on Saturday and until the declaration of ceased need, the stalls in campo Santa Margherita, rio Terà Canal, fondamenta Gherardini, campo San Barnaba and campiello Mosca remained closed. However, the city remains under surveillance.