Europe

Europe

Protests in Rome turn violent, at least 70 injured

15 October 2011 22:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Groups of violent protesters clashed with Italian police on Saturday during the global "Occupy Wall Street Day" demonstrations, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The demonstration, held worldwide to protest against the ongoing financial crisis, unfolded through Romeâ€™s city centre, featuring the "outraged" citizens which came from all over Italy. But the protest turned into a riot during the day.

Upon arriving at Piazza San Giovanni a group of 500 youths, with their faces hidden beneath black caps and helmets, started clashing with the police, breaking shopsâ€™ windows, throwing bomb bottles against banks and private buildings and setting on fire rubbish bins and cars.

The Black Bloc posters read: "If they take our present, we will steal the future." Italian and European flags were also turned into ashes in protest against the government and the European institutions, while the Defense Ministryâ€™s building was assailed and put on fire at the entrance.

Over 70 people were injured in the clashes and 45 of them were hospitalized, including police officers and local residents. One of the injured lost two of his fingers in a small explosion.

Some peaceful demonstrators tried to stop the violent protesters, screaming "no violence", while the police used hydrants and tear gases to disperse the Black Blocâ€™s protesters.

Several archaeological areas, including the usually off-limits Roman Forum, were occupied by the demonstrators. City museums were closed to avoid damage.

According to local authorities, groups of Black Bloc youths, anarchists exploited the event to infiltrate into the demonstrations and fanned the violence

Italian political factions slammed the violent outbreaks, dubbing these as "acts of barbarism".

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a note urged that the "violent people must be identified and punished," adding that what happened stood as "a very worrying signal for civil society".

Romeâ€™s mayor Gianni Alemanno strongly condemned the riots, saying Roman citizens should be the ones really "outraged".