Knife-wielding 'terrorist' mob storms wind farm project
Agsm Aim's 30MW array under construction in Italy sustained substantial damage to equipment and vehicles
A knife-wielding mob was condemned as "terrorists" after attacking a wind farm project in the town of Mugello in Tuscany, Italy, in a bid to stop construction.
Around 50 hooded and masked assailants, some reportedly wielding knives, first mobbed workers clearing trees for the Monte Giogo di Villore wind farm by developer Agsm Aim on 2 July, surrounding them and hurling insults and threats, local media said.
The group returned the next day and reportedly drove workers away at knifepoint. They then destroyed equipment and vehicles at the site, leading to hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damage, according to the complaint filed by the company with the Carabinieri of Borgo San Lorenzo.
“With this act we have sent a message to those who want to destroy our mountains,” a group called We are Mountain reportedly said.
Regional environmental head Monia Monni described it as “a real act of terrorism”.
A local association, Observations Group, which opposes the wind farm, denied any involvement in the raid.
"We dissociate ourselves from and condemn the initiative of anonymous individuals,” the environmental group was quoted saying.
"It risks distancing the peaceful population of Mugello from the defense of the ecosystems attacked by the colonial devastation of energy speculators,” Observations Group added.
The 30MW Monte Giogo di Villore wind farm has generated controversy in the region with environmental groups aligned in opposition.
It was approved by environmental authorities in 2022 and slated for commissioning next year, but activists claim it will threaten endangered species and is being constructed on unstable mountainous terrain prone to landslides.
Protest against the project is part of wider opposition to wind power in some parts of the Mediterranean nation.
Italy has around 13GW of wind power which generates around 7% of total demand.
Further expansion of this capacity is facing opposition, however, with Sardinia placing an 18-month moratorium on development amid a deluge of applications.
Winemakers and workers in Puglia are likewise pushing back against wind development.
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