In Tuscany, hooded men armed with knives disrupt a wind farm project

“They told us to stop work immediately, threatening us. I saw two knives; they were trying to intimidate us; their faces were masked by balaclavas. They looked young, but not too young, in their thirties. They spoke with different accents. They caused a lot of damage.”

This testimony, collected in the columns of La Repubblica , describes the fear experienced on July 3 by Niccolò Bruschi, manager of a wind farm construction site in the Mugello region of Tuscany. For several years, this project has been controversial, but last week, tensions rose several notches when, on two consecutive days, several dozen men – twenty to fifty according to sources – stormed the construction site, damaging and stealing equipment.

“The hypothesis is that the incursions are the work of the Siamo montagna group [literally “We are the mountain” in Italian], which, from July 2 to 6, organized a 'camping of struggle' against wind power in Mugello, details Il Post . These activists had announced that they wanted to organize a 'collective opposition' to the project and the deforestation it entails.”

Located in a quiet area of ​​eastern Tuscany, rather sheltered from tourist routes, the wind farm project was proposed in 2019 and mainly concerns the territory of the municipalities of Vicchio and Dicomano, not far from Florence . “It foresees the positioning of seven 168-meter-high turbines on an area of ​​5.4 hectares, which should produce enough electrical energy to cover the needs of 100,000 people and save 40,000 tons of _CO2 , details the transalpine information site. The total investment for this project is 35 million euros, and economic compensation for the affected municipalities and residents is also planned.”

As is often the case with wind farms, the project has divided residents, with some recognizing the need to develop renewable energy, while others denounce the impact these constructions will have on the ecosystem. "We cannot destroy nature in the name of nature," summarizes Maurizio Gori, head of a local committee opposing the project, in the columns of Il Post .

An apparent contradiction that is clearly highlighted in another report from La Repubblica , where both supporters and opponents of the project are given a voice. While the positions seem irreconcilable, everyone agrees on one point. “Those who entered the construction site are idiots,” summarizes Carlo, a local resident. “They destroyed equipment and threatened workers who come from these lands. Violence is always unacceptable.” In fact, as the peaceful activists who oppose the project are quick to point out, this action will surely harm their cause.