In Rome, protesters clash with police

Demonstrators fight with Italian police officers

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155509.html


Massive protests and violent clashes with police have been sparked in Italy's capital city, Rome, after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi narrowly survived a no-confidence vote.

Italian police faced off with masked protesters, who set cars and trash bins on fire and broke shop windows in Via del Corso, one of Rome's main streets, near Berlusconi's office as clouds of white tear gas engulfed the area, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

University and high school students as well as metal workers from various trade unions joined forces with hundreds of immigrants and people from local housing and food collectives in their massive protests against the government.

Meanwhile, police forces engaged in violent clashes with protesters, who were seen hurling stones at police and smashed banks windows, destroyed several cash machines and threw chairs in different parts of the turmoil-hit city of Rome.

The violence erupted after Berlusconi survived a crucial no-confidence vote with 314 lawmakers voting in his favor compared to 311 parliamentarians who voted against him in the 630-seat lower house.

According to police officials, at least 90 people, including 50 police officers, have been injured and more than 40 protesters have been taken into custody.

Before the vote, protesters were rubbing their hands at the prospect of a full-blown political defeat for the Italian leader at a time when he is dogged by a slew of scandals ranging from sexual misconduct and vote buying to corruption charges and failure to tackle the economic crisis.

Over the past weeks, Italians staged several demonstrations against belt-tightening fiscal austerity measures and university reforms introduced by the government in the wake of a deepening financial meltdown.

Berlusconi's popularity plummeted to below 40 percent in November, mainly due to his sexual misconduct, government's unpopular austerity package and series of internal strife within the center-right government.