I find it hard to express my opinion on this issue/situation. I'm sure I would be very distressed as a mother in this situation but I would hope I could behave calmly so as not to make it more emotional for my children. The scenes of their removal were awful but I can't help feeling the mum fueled the girls hysteria and if she had been able to behave in a more calm and reassuring manner the girls would have been less distressed too iykwim

How awful for their father to have to see that as well

I hope the mother now gets a fair hearing in the Italian family courts.

ETA: sorry, realised my post doesn't actually address/answer the OP