Italy sets its sights on climate activists with 'anti-Gandhi' Bill

Blocking a road to protest inaction against climate change could soon be punishable with prison in Italy, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government cracks down on demonstrations, even peaceful ones.

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A new security law passed by MPs and facing final scrutiny in the Senate has been dubbed the "anti-Gandhi" law – after pacifist Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi – by critics for taking aim at demonstrations by people ranging from prisoners to climate activists.

It is specifically aimed at protests against two major infrastructure projects – a high-speed, cross-border Turin-Lyon railway to France and a mooted bridge over the Strait of Messina to Sicily – both championed by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

Mr Salvini, who is also Infrastructure and Transport Minister, is a defender of the combustion engine and crusades against "climate terrorism", particularly the young members of the Last Generation, a climate group known for headline-grabbing protests.