Italy v Israel: Retegui puts Azzurri ahead, tensions outside Friuli | OneFootball

While Italy–Israel is being played at the Friuli Stadium, with the Azzurri leading 1-0 thanks to a penalty converted by Mateo Retegui, the atmosphere outside the venue is anything but calm. The streets of downtown Udine, as reported by La Repubblica, have in fact been the scene of violent clashes during the pro-Palestine march organized by the Committee for Palestine of Udine, which gathered support from 358 political groups and movements from all over Italy.

Italy, Retegui opens the match against Israel: tensions outside the stadium

The demonstration, which began peacefully in the afternoon, escalated at dusk when a group of troublemakers lifted barricades and tried to strike police vehicles on Via della Vittoria. The police, equipped in riot gear, responded with dispersal charges and tear gas, managing to contain the crowd and restore calm in Piazza Primo Maggio, the endpoint of the march. During the tensions, a journalist was injured, struck on the head by an object thrown in the chaos. Assisted by emergency personnel and rushed to the hospital, he suffered a significant head trauma, but is reportedly not in life-threatening condition.

Police chief Pasquale Antonio De Lorenzo stated that the situation “is under control,” emphasizing that the intervention of law enforcement was “necessary to ensure the safety of citizens and prevent access to the stadium area.” A small group of black bloc members, recognizable by their black clothing and covered faces, was removed by the march’s own security service, to the applause of the peaceful demonstrators.

Andrea Alati

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.