Rome protest against cuts descends into violence

Rome protest against cuts descends into violence

Italian journalist Francesco Cirillo at the San Giovanni Piazza said much damage had been caused in central Rome

Riot police have fought militant protesters in Rome as the biggest of a series of global rallies against banks and politicians tipped into violence. At least 70 people were injured, three of them seriously, as police fought masked rioters with tear gas, water cannon and batons. Other protesters tried to stop the rioters as they attacked cars and businesses, marring a peaceful rally. The day saw coordinated protests in cities worldwide, most of them small.
Inspired by the Occupy Wall St movement and Spain's "Indignants", demonstrators turned out from Asia to Europe and back to New York for an event organisers said on their website was aimed at initiating "global change". "United in one voice, we will let politicians, and the financial elites they serve, know it is up to us, the people, to decide our future," they added.
Masked militants
Tens of thousands of people had turned out to demonstrate peacefully in Rome.
Television pictures from the city showed streets packed with protesters waving banners, close to the Colosseum.
Read More: BBC News