Violence in Rome as protests go global

Columns of black smoke rose over central Rome on Saturday as one of the largest global protests against the financial system turned violent. Helicopters hovered over Piazza San Giovanni as riot police fired tear gas and fought running battles into the night with hundreds of protesters, mostly young, many wearing helmets.

In the worst unrest Rome has seen in decades, rioters tore up cobble stones or threw petrol bombs as the police used baton charges to control the crowd, which numbered several thousand. Protesters chanted “killers, killers” as thunderflashes exploded in the square, buildings were set alight and a police van burnt.

Much of the anger was directed against Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister, and the 316 members of parliament who saved his government from defeat on Friday.

The Ansa news agency said 20 people had been taken to hospital, including two policemen hurt when their van was set alight.

Witnesses said hooded militants infiltrated what had been a peaceful demonstration.

The violence started when a group of about 30 or 40 men torched SUVs along the route of the march, smashed the windows of a branch of Cassa di Ripsarmio di Rimini bank, attacked a supermarket and torched Italian and European Union flags flying outside a hotel.

The rioters appeared to belong to a violent movement called the black bloc – fringe groups of far-left and anarchists militants – who caused mayhem in central Rome last December when they infiltrated a peaceful protest by students against government cuts in education.

Many Italians marching towards Piazza San Giovanni deplored the violence, with some taking shelter in hotels and bars along the route. “This is a big mess,” said a young woman who had come from Sicily to join the anti-capitalist march.

Mr Berlusconi denounced what he called “unthinkable levels of violence by a large group of rioters” whom he said would be tracked down and punished. He praised the police for preventing an even worse outcome.

“Ours is not violence. It is defence against the police violence directed against us,” said a 42-year-old woman wearing a gas mask who described herself as a communist. “This is a fascist dictatorship.”

As finance ministers from the G20 nations met in Paris to discuss the eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis, a “global day of protest” inspired by a month of US protests began in Australia and the Far East.

Some 2,000 people took to the streets outside the central Reserve Bank of Australia. The movement then rippled around the world as midday struck in the Middle East and then Europe, with thousands gathering in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and outside the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

In New York, police said 74 people were arrested during Saturday’s demonstrations, which included a march to Times Square that organisers said drew thousands.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said 42 people were arrested in Times Square when they did not follow warnings to disperse, while three others were taken into custody for trying to take down police barriers.

Mr Browne said two police officers were hospitalised for injuries sustained at 46th Street and 7th Avenue as protesters tried to topple the barriers.

Earlier in the day, 24 people were arrested for trespassing at a Citibank branch when, according to organisers, they went to close their accounts. Another five people wearing masks were arrested during the march to Times Square.

Citibank said in a statement: “A large amount of protesters entered our branch at 555 La Guardia Place around 2.00pm today. They were very disruptive and refused to leave after being repeatedly asked, causing our staff to call 911. The police asked the branch staff to close the branch until the protesters could be removed. Only one person asked to close an account and was accommodated.”

In Times Square, chants of “Occupy Wall Street, occupy Times Square, occupy everywhere” rang out across the demonstration, as police on horseback blocked off the road and protestors were forced to line the sidewalks. Many demonstrators walked south to rally in Washington Square Park.

Rebekah, a student from Philadelphia who did not want to give her last name, said: “I think it’s important that we build a community of discontent about what is happening in US society.” She said she had travelled to Manhattan for the day to join the protests. “I’m here because I am against inequality and the corporate ownership of our society.”

In London, more than 1,000 protesters occupied the steps of St Paul's Cathedral after police stopped them marching into Paternoster Square, home of the Stock Exchange and Goldman Sachs’ investment management business.

Asked why the Rome demonstration had exploded in violence unlike other cities, one young protester replied: “Italians have been slaves for years. Usually we are silent but every once in a while we erupt.”

Additional reporting by Matt Kennard and Shannon Bond in New York and Michael Stothard in London