Anti-COVID pass crowds clash with police in Rome
Riot police clashed with dozens of people who gathered in the streets of Rome to protest the government's new COVID-19 "green passes."
Saturday night saw riot police grapple with protesters and fire projectiles towards crowds, after thousands had demonstrated against the new government rules earlier in the day.
The certification in Italy, known as a "Green Pass," is set to take effect on 15 October, and requires people to have either had a COVID-19 vaccine or recent negative test to access public and private workplaces.
Both employees and employers risk fines if they don't comply. Workers in the public sector can be suspended if they show up five times without a Green Pass.
During the summer, Green Passes were already required in Italy to enter museums, theaters, gyms and indoor restaurants, as well as to take long-distance trains and buses or domestic flights.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government has credited the Green Pass requirement for workplaces for a surge of vaccinations, with 80% of those aged 12 or older now fully vaccinated.
The protesters first held a noisy, authorized protest on Saturday in Piazza Del Popolo.
Then demonstrators left the vast square and clashed with police as they headed through nearby Villa Borghese Park and then down Via Veneto in an unauthorized march.
Police in helmets and carrying shields and batons blocked them from marching down a street that runs past Draghi's office.
But a group of protesters broke off and headed down another street in Rome's historic main shopping district that ends near the premier's office.
Rai State TV said demonstrators numbered at least 10,000, while organizers said they numbered 100,000. At least one protester was injured, RAI said.
According to Rai and the newspaper Corriere della Sera, among the protesters were proponents of an extreme right-wing group called Forza Nuova.
Similar protests took place Saturday in other Italian cities, including Milan and Trento.
(Source: AP)
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