Italy. € 50,000 SLAPP for environmentalist who protects a hedgehogs colony

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Ossigeno’s Legal Help Desk together with Media Defence takes action to defend Linda Maggiori sued in Faenza for reporting the risks for the wildlife

OSSIGENO, November 17, 2025 – Faenza’s enviromentalist and journalist Linda Maggiori is charged with feigning a crime, slander, causing alarm, and aggravated defamation in relation to her efforts to protect the Ghilana hedgehogs, a colony of this protected species. This case was reported by local environmentalists and by Linda Maggiori herself, who did so in an exercise of her right to information regarding a matter of public interest. A housing cooperative filed a lawsuit against Linda Maggiori, seeking €50,000 in damages.

THE TRIAL – After examining the documents, the Public Prosecutor requested the case be dismissed. The injured party filed an objection. On October 20, 2025, a hearing was held before the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Ravenna regarding the objection to the dismissal request.

THE OSSIGENO OFFICE – Linda Maggiori is being represented by the lawyer Andrea Di Pietro on behalf of Ossigeno’s Legal Office, which has decided to support Linda Maggiori by providing her with free legal assistance in light of the significant impact this legal action has on the exercise of the right to information and the role of civic activism. Ossigeno believes that the criminal charges—along with the parallel request for compensation—should be examined with due consideration for the activist’s civic role in publicizing an issue of significant environmental and social interest.

THE STORY – The story begins in the spring of 2023, when some volunteers from Faenza involved in protecting local wildlife alerted Linda Maggiori to the existence of a large colony of hedgehogs that had found refuge in the dilapidated houses in the Ghilana complex in Faenza. The hedgehogs of Ghilana are attracting activists’ attention because these wild animals are a protected species under Italian law, which prohibits mistreatment, hunting, or captivity.

Reports from 2023 indicated that a colony of these animals was living in the ruins of the Ghilana houses, protected by volunteers who fed them from specially placed feeders. Some hedgehogs had received veterinary care and were then released into the area. Demolition of the ruins was planned and imminent. After receiving reports, Linda Maggiori decided to make the issue public on the “Faenza Eco-logica” Facebook page and to ask the cooperative responsible for carrying out the work and the Municipality of Faenza to postpone the demolitions and wait until they are out of hibernation.

THE DEMOLITIONS – The journalist’s appeal sparked the interest of some city and regional councilors, activist initiatives, and appeals on social media. Despite all this, on April 27, 2023, the contracted company began demolition work. That day, Maggiori went to the site and filmed the bulldozers operating on the rubble, without taking any visible precautions to protect the wildlife living there. In the following hours, she received a series of photos and videos showing several dead hedgehogs among the rubble. Maintaining the anonymity of the source of those images, she forwarded them to journalists and administrators attending the City Council meeting.

REACTIONS – In the following days, the dissemination of those images generated intense local debate and institutional tensions. After a complex process, after informing the Carabinieri Forestali and the Local Police, Linda Maggiori filed a complaint against unknown persons for environmental damage. On May 2, the “La Ninna” Hedgehog Recovery Center, with which the blogger was in contact, conducted an inspection, confirming the presence of hedgehogs (fresh droppings) and possible shelters.

Meanwhile, the veterinarian commissioned by the company removed one of the hedgehogs found and took it for an autopsy. According to the report, the animal died of a lung condition and not from being crushed, and the death occurred within 24 hours of the hedgehog’s discovery. This circumstance gave rise to an accusatory counter-narrative against Linda Maggiori, who was publicly accused of having faked a crime or even of having placed a dead hedgehog at the demolition site.

THE REQUEST FOR COMPENSATION – In the following months, the cooperative in charge of the demolition work notified her of a €50,000 compensation claim, accusing her of spreading false information about the presence of the colony and the deaths of the animals. Criminal proceedings were opened against her, alleging the following offenses: causing alarm, faking a crime, slander, and aggravated defamation. After examining the documents, the Public Prosecutor requested the case be dismissed, but the injured party filed a complaint.