Four Protesters Hit With Three-Year Bans From Entire City After Protesting Woodland Demolition

Four people detained during protests against the demolition of Bosco Ospizio were released Thursday, October 1, with orders banning them from the city for up to three years.

The sanctions came during the second day of protests against plans to transform the wooded area for construction of a Conad supermarket. Dozens of people blocked the road outside the woodland, while some protesters entered the construction site and climbed onto work vehicles, temporarily stopping demolition operations.

Firefighters intervened to free the machinery before those detained were taken to police headquarters. According to the protest organizers, they remained there for several hours and were unable to contact their lawyers.

The four were later released with city-exclusion orders under Italy’s anti-mafia prevention code. The measure allows authorities to bar people considered socially dangerous from a municipality for a specified period.

The Bosco Ospizio assembly condemned the sanctions, saying the protesters had been trying to prevent the destruction of the woodland after months of opposition from residents and members of the scientific community. The group said it would consider legal action against the orders and demanded that Reggio Emilia’s city government address how they were imposed.