Protester Nina De Chiffre has been detained for kissing a police officer's helmet. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Italian protester's kiss was 'sexual violence'

Published: 12 Dec 2013 16:52 GMT+01:00
Updated: 12 Dec 2013 16:52 GMT+01:00

The woman who kissed a riot policeman during protests near the northern Italian city of Turin in November has been detained for "sexual violence" and "offence to a public official".

'Protests could become dangerously rebellious' (12 Dec 13)
Police clash with anti-tax protesters in Turin (09 Dec 13)

Franco Maccari, the Secretary General of Coisp, the Italian police officers' union, said during an interview on Radio24 that he had pressed charges against the demonstrator who kissed an officer's helmet. The kiss took place during a protest march against controversial plans for a new high-speed TAV train line.

He explained that if it had happened the other way round, with a police officer kissing a protestor, “World War Three would have broken out.”

At the time, Nina De Chiffre, the 20-year-old protestor from Milan, told La Stampa “I wanted to make fun of them [the police], and I would say that we were successful.”

Indeed, the photo was shared in newspapers and websites worldwide, though at first it was interpreted as a message of peace and reconciliation.

Maccari said: “We're tired of taking blows from the No TAV group – and not just from them. Today, protesting is a sacred right, but when they overstep the line of legality, there can be no flexibility.”

De Chiffre, however, feels it is the police who overstep the line, and told La Repubblica in November: “I wanted that policeman to remember what happened to Marta from Pisa. Last July, she was beaten, with no consequences for the officers.” De Chiffre was referring to a fellow activist from the 'No TAV' group, who reported harassment and humiliation from police following a demonstration.

The recipient of De Chiffre's kiss, riot officer Salvatore Piccione, reacted calmly to the incident, saying: “When I'm wearing my uniform I represent the police institution, and I have an obligation not to react to provocation. The important thing is that, in the end, the demonstration went ahead without disturbance.”

Meanwhile, Italy has been hit by a series of anti-prosperity protests this week. READ MORE HERE: 'Protests could become dangerously rebellious'

Construction of the high-speed line, which will reduce journey time from Milan to Paris from seven to four hours, has already begun, despite the protests of campaigners who argue it is too expensive and unnecessary.

Don't miss a story about Italy - Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Catherine Edwards (catherine.edwards@thelocal.com)

Don't miss...X

Over 100,000 people fled Italy in 2012

106,000 people left Italy in 2012 in search of work elsewhere, according to the latest figures from the Censis Institute. ...

Italy sentences Egyptian ex-cleric for terror

An Italian court on Friday convicted on terror charges an Egyptian cleric who was kidnapped by the CIA in Milan ...

'Italian life prioritizes quality over quantity'

When Ashley and Jason Bartner left New York to set up an organic farm and cooking school in rural Le ...

The Italian 'injecting hope' in Afghanistan

Physiotherapist Alberto Cairo has spent more than two decades working with the Red Cross in Afghanistan. He talks to The ...

Pope Francis statue joins Rome wax museum

Pope Francis has become the latest figure in Rome's wax museum with a statue depicting the pontiff smiling in the ...

Italy feels 'pain' of Mandela death: PM

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta on Friday expressed the "pain that we all feel in our hearts" at the death ...

Italy reacts to death of Mandela

Since news broke on Thursday night of the death of Nelson Mandela, Italians have been expressing their admiration for South ...

Football fans use Anne Frank in anti-Jew attack

In the latest in a series of anti-Semitic acts linked to football rivalries in Rome, offensive stickers showing Anne Frank ...

Vatican sets up child sex abuse committee

Pope Francis is setting up a special commission to advise the Catholic Church on how it can better protect children ...

Italians are 'giving more than ever'

Over five million Italians, particularly young people, are dedicating their free time to voluntary work, according to the World Giving ...

Your comments about this article

Today's headlines

The Christmas tree in Milan was decorated with a variety of sex toys: Photo: Luca Matarazzo/MySecretCase

Milan's 'dildo' Christmas tree sparks uproar

A Christmas tree decorated with 100 pink vibrators and other sex toys sparked such an uproar among residents in Milan that the local authorities took it down within 24 hours of it going on display. READ () »

Italians protest in northern Italy. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Protesters block Italy-France border

Protesters from Italy's "Pitchforks" movement shut down the main roads between Italy and France on Thursday as part of a wave of anti-austerity protests that have sometimes erupted into violence. READ () »

Protester Nina De Chiffre has been detained for kissing a police officer's helmet. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Italian protester's kiss was 'sexual violence'

The woman who kissed a riot policeman during protests near the northern Italian city of Turin in November has been detained for "sexual violence" and "offence to a public official". READ () »

Paolo Sorrentino hopes his film, La Grande Bellezza, has been nominated for a Golden Globe.

The Great Beauty vies for Golden Globe

La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty), a film by Italy's Paolo Sorrentino, has been nominated for a Golden Globe. READ () »

Francesco Cossiga was president from 1985 to 1992. Photo: Presidenza della Repubblica/Wikimedia Commons

'President's school' shut over fear of collapse

An Italian high school famous for educating the country's presidents has closed due to fears that part of the building could collapse, Italian media has reported. READ () »

Italy's deputy prime minister Angelo Alfano has warned the anti-austerity protests risk becoming "dangerously violent". Photo: AFP

'Protests could become dangerously rebellious'

Anti-austerity protests, which have gathered momentum across Italy over the past week, risk becoming “dangerously rebellious against national and European institutions", Italy’s depurt prime minister Angela Alfano said on Thursday. READ () »

The fans were stabbed close to the San Siro stadium in Milan. Photo: Jamie Davies/Flickr

Ajax fans stabbed before Milan clash

Three fans of Ajax are in hospital, one in a serious condition, after being stabbed prior to the Dutch side's Champions League clash with AC Milan on Wednesday, according to reports. READ () »

The Local List

Italian pensioners practising their hand gestures. Photo: Simone Santo Ba/La Voce del Corpo

Ten ways to speak Italian with your hands

Know the Italian language better than Dante but rendered mute when your Italian friends start speaking with their hands? The Local has uncovered the meaning behind the 10 most popular gestures. READ () »

Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said his imprisonment would lead to a "revolution" in Italy. Photo: AFP

'Jailing me will lead to revolution': Berlusconi

Scandal-tainted Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, sentenced to a year in prison for tax fraud, claimed on Thursday there would be a "revolution" in Italy if he was jailed. READ () »

Opinion

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Italian PM Enrico Letta announced a €1bn mutual investment fund in November. Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP

'Italy-Russia deal is equal to one with drug cartels'

When Russia signed a €1 billion investment deal with Italy in November, it was seen in some quarters as a welcome boost to the Italian economy, while others raised fears over the Kremlin's growing influence in Europe and possible corruption. The Local takes a look at the pros and cons. READ () »

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS