Thousands of "No-TAV" activists took to the streets in Rome, Italy on March 5, 2012 occupying the ring road of Rome and the Rome-L'Aquila motorway access. They protested against the construction of high-speed line Lyon-Turin in Val di Susa,
Protests against the train project have been taking place for years, but they have escalated over the last 10 days, with a number of incidents of violence and road blocks that have caused major disruption.
Anti-train protesters oppose the construction of the train line for a number of reasons, all related to its ecological and economic impacts on the areas it will run through. While some of the protesters demonstrate peacefully, others have resorted to vandalism. Two dozen policemen were reportedly injured in the clashes as they tried to remove protesters who had been blocking a highway for three days. Three protestors were also injured, and five were arrested.
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