In the late afternoon of 26th January 2017, national coordinator of SiCobas trade union Aldo Milani was taken away by the police, arrested and transferred to jail in Modena. By January 27th, his legal defense has not been able to contact him. Milani was charged with extortion relating to industrial action that the union was taking against a food processing company in the province of Modena, Northern Italy. The video that was the basis for his arrest, was handed out to the media and was immediately made public, before Milani had had a chance to defend himself or to speak to his lawyer. Media allegedly embarked on an immediate campaign to smear the union and its leader, after the arrest. SiCobas said: "It’s clear that we find ourselves in front of an unprecedented repressive escalation... To this full-frontal political attack we will respond immediately with the only weapon that workers have at their disposition: self-organisation and struggle." Following the arrest, strikes and protests took place all around Italy. The accusations against Milani were eventually dismissed, resulting in his release on January 28th.