Gewelddadig protest in Rome tijdens besprekingen IGC (en) - Main contents

Some 70,000 trade unionists and anti-globalists marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday (4 October) whilst EU heads of State and Government were meeting to discuss a new EU Constitution.

The protests were not only against the Constitution but also against the Berlusconi government's labour and pension reforms.

Late on Saturday the demonstrations erupted in violence and police used teargas to prevent demonstrators from getting near the EU summit in Southern Rome.

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu blamed the clashes on a hardcore group of protesters.

"Thanks to those peaceful demonstrators and the self-control and professionalism of our security forces, violence and damage was kept to a minimum", he said in a statement, quoted by Reuters.

The clash was the first major incident between the Italian police and anti-globalisation protesters since July 2001, when protests against a Group of Eight summit in Genoa left one demonstrator dead and many protesters injured.