Rome: Italian police warned on Thursday that an anti-vaccine campaigner called for armed attacks during the anti-government protest planned this weekend, and that eight people were being investigated for incitement for crime.
A police statement said the search was conducted in six Italian provinces, including Milan, Rome and Venice, and that eight placed in the investigation was part of the group that called itself “The Warriors” in the Messaging Telegram application.
Investigators suspect they are preparing to carry out attacks during the demonstration scheduled in Rome on Saturday and Sunday against the Green Pass health documents that allows to enter many places during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The researchers suspected the group used a telegram to regulate its activities and encourage others to carry out attacks in other cities, the statement said.
It didn’t say whatever the attack was targeted.
There were no direct comments from the anti-vaccine campaigner.
Green Pass is a digital certificate or paper that indicates whether someone has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, has been tested negatively or recently recovered from the virus.
It was introduced this summer to try to prevent infection and encourage people to get vaccination.
Initially needed to enter many cultural and recreational places, but the scope gradually widened.
This scheme has caused protests by some Italians who said it stepped on freedom, but only a handful of people who emerged in mass demonstrations held last week to block rail traffic throughout the country.