Dozens Charged Over Violent Ramy-Case Protests

Rome: Police have charged 39 people with criminal offences linked to violence in Rome on Saturday during a protest concerning the death of Ramy Elgaml, a 19-year-old Italo-Egyptian. Elgaml died on November 24 in a scooter accident in Milan while being pursued by the Carabinieri police. Among those charged, two suspects are minors, and eight police officers sustained injuries during the unrest in the capital.

According to Ansa News Agency, Premier Giorgia Meloni condemned the protests on Sunday. She expressed her disapproval on social media, stating, “Amid paper bombs, tear gas and assaults, last night in Rome we saw the umpteenth, ignoble episode of disorder and chaos by the usual rioters who took to the streets not to demonstrate for a cause, but purely in a spirit of revenge.” Meloni emphasized that using a tragedy to justify violence is unacceptable and extended solidarity to the injured police officers, reassuring them of the government’s support.

The protests unfolded as authorities investigate whether Carabinieri security officials intentionally rammed the scooter carrying Ramy Elgaml and Fares Bouzidi, a 22-year-old Tunisian, during an eight-kilometer chase. The pursuit ended in the Corvetto district after the pair allegedly drove through a roadblock. The officer driving the car directly following the scooter, along with Bouzidi, is under investigation for involuntary road murder charges. Additionally, other Carabinieri officials involved are being scrutinized for potentially false claims about the accident and for allegedly erasing a witness’s video.