00:00Over the past two years, I've been issued three exclusion orders and countless fines for demonstrating peacefully.
00:10I've been fined amounts ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros because I helped organize strikes.
00:17Italy's right-wing government has been tightening the country's security laws for years.
00:22Most recently, it introduced 14 new criminal offenses.
00:26What are the consequences?
00:27In our democracy and the right to protest in Italy at risk?
00:32We begin our investigation in the northern Italian city of Turin.
00:36The former industrial powerhouse is now one of the centers of political protest in Italy.
00:42This group is also a familiar presence at demonstrations, the environmental group Extinction Rebellion.
00:48Some of them are with Filippo today.
00:50He's standing trial.
00:51For the 24-year-old, this is part of being an activist.
00:55When we engage in civil disobedience, we know that sooner or later we may end up in court.
01:02Bringing our issues to court is also part of the strategy.
01:08In March 2025, Filippo and others climbed an abandoned industrial chimney belonging to an arms manufacturer and painted the slogan,
01:16Life, Not War.
01:20He's frequently participated in similar actions which, to date, have resulted in three exclusion orders and countless charges and fines.
01:32We wanted to demonstrate directly in front of the centers of power.
01:36But in those places, it's impossible to protest legally.
01:40So we decided to break that rule and demonstrate there anyway.
01:44After all, it's a constitutional right.
01:48The government is increasingly resorting to exclusion orders.
01:52These orders were originally introduced as a tool to fight the mafia, but are now being used more and more
01:58against political opponents.
02:00Those targeted can temporarily be banned from entering certain towns or other locations.
02:05The consequences of these bans can be devastating, says constitutional law expert Alessandra Agostino.
02:13If someone is studying in a municipality from which they've been banned, they can no longer continue their studies there.
02:20And they can't maintain their friendships and social ties in that area.
02:25It's a measure that profoundly affects their life.
02:30In the past, groups like Extinction Rebellion often staged road blockades.
02:35That's over now.
02:36Under the new security laws, such actions can result in up to two years in prison.
02:40Filippo and his fellow activists have changed their strategy.
02:45Our methods may change, our circumstances may change, but repression won't stop us.
02:51The expert is adamant that even unpopular protests must be accepted in a democracy.
02:57A democracy must tolerate protest.
03:00But that's not all.
03:01It must value protest and dissent as part of the democratic order, peacefully expressed, of course, because that is the
03:08essence of a democracy.
03:11Under the stricter security laws, direct fines can be imposed instead of court proceedings, up to 10,000 euros.
03:17This is exactly what union activist Mahmoud Abutabih is experiencing.
03:24In March 2026, we went on strike for more than three days.
03:29It resulted in the police filing reports against us.
03:32And we also received administrative fines, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros for each day of the strike.
03:40Mahmoud still doesn't know how high the fine will be, but the situation weighs heavily on him.
03:47What if they want 10,000 euros for each offence?
03:50That would be a total of about 30,000 euros.
03:54I couldn't pay that.
03:55I just don't have that kind of money.
04:01Financial pressure can force small activist groups to give up.
04:05Mahmoud says that under the right-wing government, authorities have become increasingly harsh toward the demonstrators.
04:13We used to have room to talk and negotiate.
04:16But nowadays, after just three days, the charges and administrative fines start rolling in.
04:25The police see it differently.
04:27In Rome, we meet Felice Romano, the general secretary of Italy's largest police union.
04:33He believes that organisers of demonstrations need to be held more accountable.
04:41That's the great challenge facing all modern democracies,
04:45ensuring security while also safeguarding freedom.
04:49That's why we've proposed tougher administrative penalties for those who organise demonstrations
04:55and fail to comply with the guidelines set by the public security authorities.
05:02The latest security decree goes even further.
05:05Since February 2026, police can detain people for up to 12 hours before demonstrations,
05:11a preventative measure even before a crime has been committed.
05:16A senator from the ruling party Fratelli d'Italia, Salvo Salemi, defends the measure.
05:24This is by no means an arrest.
05:26No one's going to be arrested because we don't like the look of their face
05:30or because they're wearing colourful pants.
05:33There must be concrete reasons which are reviewed by a prosecutor.
05:38Ultimately, it's the prosecutor who confirms the detention.
05:43Back in Turin, Filippo and his fellow activists are putting up posters.
05:49Suddenly, a black car appears.
05:52It follows us slowly.
05:54It's nothing new for Filippo and his friends.
05:58These aren't the regular plainclothes, police.
06:01It's a special unit that monitors various political groups in Italy.
06:06They're watching us.
06:08We know them.
06:09And they know us.
06:12That's why it's so dangerous.
06:15We feel like they're constantly following us.
06:22A few moments later, the police pull us over.
06:25A routine check, the officer says.
06:29Could I just see your IDs?
06:37This time they were quick.
06:38It happens all the time, especially in certain neighbourhoods.
06:43We're out in the evening and the police show up and stop us to check our IDs.
06:48That's just how it is.
06:51Legal scholars are warning the public of a threat to Italian democracy.
06:56These laws, taken with other developments,
06:58point to a regime that's becoming increasingly authoritarian.
07:05But the government's measures have not gone unchallenged.
07:08More than 250 experts on constitutional law
07:11have called for a review of the security laws.
07:14So far, without success.
07:17All right.
07:18Sure.
07:19How is your turn?
07:21Yeah.
07:22Yeah.
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