Violent Scenes at Anti-Globalisation Demonstration
- Publish date:04/10/2003
- Section:WORLD HEADLINES
An anti-globalisation march in Rome has turned nasty, with Italian riot police responding to a hail of bottles and stones with tear gas and batons.
Earlier a small group of demonstrators had set fire to an employment agency and attacked a bank building.
The diverse collective of anarchists, environmentalists and fair trade activists accuse the EU of developing a constitution that puts capitalism above social welfare.
An attempt to break police lines by protesters wearing helmets and carrying shields met a swift response, with officers driving them back by sheer force.
The summit delegates were shielded from the violence by a giant barrier. Italian police have been accused of heavy-handedness in the past - a demonstration in Genoa two years ago resulted in one campaigner being shot dead.
**PHOTO CAPTION***
An anti-globalisation demonstrator wounded during clahes between protesters and riot police, is being helped in front of the Palazzo dei Congressi during at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), in Rome. (AFP/Vincenzo Pinto)