Italy tightens security in Susa Valley after No TAV clashes; two foreign activists expelled

Following violent clashes at the Turin–Lyon high-speed rail construction site over the weekend, Italian authorities intensified police deployments in the Susa Valley on 28 July 2026. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi visited the Chiomonte tunnel portals, calling on magistrates to “use all available tools” against what they described as “organised violence”. The police prefecture confirmed that two French nationals arrested during the protests have been served with expulsion orders and a three-year Schengen re-entry ban. The incident illustrates how public-order considerations can quickly translate into mobility restrictions. Under Article 13 of the Italian Immigration Act, the prefect may order administrative removal of non-EU or EU citizens deemed a threat to public security. While expulsions linked to demonstrations remain rare, companies planning site visits or media tours in politically sensitive areas should pre-screen participants’ legal status and previous protest records. In practical terms the Susa Valley now sees reinforced roadblocks on the A32 motorway and random ID checks at Bussoleno and Susa railway stations. Tour operators have reported delays of up to 45 minutes for coaches heading to the popular Moncenisio Pass, while freight forwarders moving equipment for Alpine construction projects face additional paperwork to prove cargo provenance. The French Interior Ministry has so far refrained from reciprocal measures, but sources in Paris say the matter will be raised at the next Franco-Italian Interior Ministers’ meeting in September. If bilateral tensions escalate, reactivation of juxtaposed controls at the Fréjus Tunnel – suspended since May – is possible, which would have immediate consequences for truck flows between Lyon and Northern Italy. HR and security managers should update country-risk assessments for staff travelling to Piedmont and advise against participation in demonstrations. Those employing foreign workers on Schengen short-stay statuses must remember that an Italian expulsion order automatically nullifies any existing visa or visa-free allowance, blocking re-entry to the entire Schengen area.