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Italian police battle rioters at start of Milan Expo

01 May 2015 23:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Police fired tear gas at demonstrators on Friday as violent protests marred the start of the Milan Expo, a global fair the government had hoped would help to put a new face on Italy after years of economic decline, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Thick clouds of smoke from burning cars filled parts of central Milan, where groups of protesters, their faces masked against the fumes, threw stones and petrol bombs and faced off against lines of police in riot gear.

The confrontation broke out after an opening ceremony at the Expo site where Prime Minister Matteo Renzi hailed the start of a six-month-long showpiece of culture and technology that focused on the theme of sustainable food production.

The fair mobilised a range of left-wing protesters, from anti-globalisation and environmentalist activists to students and anti-austerity campaigners, who see it as a symbol of waste and corruption. Thousands of police had been deployed to counter the threat of violence.

Renzi has been counting on the event to reinforce signs of recovery after years of recession that have hit young people especially hard.

"All you experts who kept saying 'We'll never do it' -- this is your answer," he said at the opening. "I like to think that tomorrow begins today."

Instead, the elegant centre of Milan was transformed into a battle ground, with sirens and bangs from flash bombs and firecrackers ringing out against the shouts of protesters. Eleven police suffered minor injuries.

The main part of the demonstration was halted by police vans blockading the street, but breakaway groups of masked demonstrators fought running battles in the rain that left streets littered with makeshift barricades and debris.

Police detained a number of demonstrators but there was no immediate official estimate of the damage, which included smashed windows and street fittings and burned-out cars.

As the violence petered out in the evening, police blocked off the area around La Scala opera house, where a performance of Puccini's "Turandot" rounded off the opening day ceremonies.

Renzi declined to comment as he entered La Scala in evening dress for the opera.