More demonstrations in Italy against Alpine rail link

Several thousand people have protested in a northern Italian valley against a planned high-speed railway.

The rally follows a protest last week when people tried to stop work on a new tunnel for the line connecting Turin to Lyon in France.

Protesters say the line will ruin the landscape and will not benefit local people.

“I’ve come from Milan to say ‘no’ to the high speed train, to say ‘no’ to wasting public money, to say ‘no’ to the money that goes into the hands of the mafia, to say ‘no’ to useless building, to the destruction of such a beautiful valley, to say ‘no’ to this train line,” said one young man, Simone Carcano.

The demonstration he attended, at Exilles in the Susa valley, was peaceful.

Once again there was trouble at the tunnel construction site. Reports say protesters charged, leading to scuffles with police, with 30 officers, two demonstrators and one worker slightly injured.

France and Italy signed the deal ten years ago to build the new line, aimed at slashing journey times.

The EU has told Italy to continue construction otherwise funding could be withdrawn.

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