Thousands of people took to the streets of Rome on Saturday for an anti-austerity protest, with a massive security presence in place amid fears of clashes.
"We are laying siege to the city!" a group of students chanted as they marched through Rome, while others waved rainbow peace flags and held up banners from a variety of leftist movements.
"We are protesting a one-way austerity that is putting the country on its knees," said Piero Bernocchi from the Cobas trade union association.
"And it hasn't achieved what it was meant to by bringing down debt," he said, adding: "Meanwhile politicians continue with their privileges".
Police have seized potential weapons including chains, helmets, clubs and a knife and have detained 14 people ahead of the protest.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 police officers have been deployed, media reports said, and organisers say they expect more than 20,000 people at the protest.
A few thousand demonstrators could be seen at the protest already, but more people were still arriving.
The demonstration brings together a variety of groups including migrant rights advocates, campaigners for affordable housing and protesters against a new high-speed rail link in the Alps.
Some of the protesters had camped out overnight on Piazza San Giovanni square following a trade union demonstration and transport strike on Friday.
They are planning another protest camp on Saturday night close to the infrastructure and transport ministry which they blame for failing to build affordable housing and wasting money on large-scale construction projects.
Many shops in that area of the Italian capital have remained shuttered for the protest in a bid to minimise potential damage to property.
Reports suggest demonstrators may be planning to occupy buildings, including hotels, in protest over a lack of accommodation for poor families who have been hit hard by the recession, the longest Italy has suffered since the post-war period.
AFP
Sat Oct 19 2013
![Thousands rally against austerity in Rome Thousands rally against austerity in Rome](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2013-10/81382195936_295x200.jpg)
![[KOLUMNIS] Konotasi 'Belanda' dalam pantun dan peribahasa Melayu [KOLUMNIS] Konotasi 'Belanda' dalam pantun dan peribahasa Melayu](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721207677_belanda.jpg)
[KOLUMNIS] Konotasi 'Belanda' dalam pantun dan peribahasa Melayu
Pantun merupakan akal budi orang Melayu, iaitu penciptaan bait-bait diksi yang indah yang mempunyai unsur alam dan persekitaran masyarakat.
![Suspek kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini belum ditahan tugas - Polis Perak Suspek kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini belum ditahan tugas - Polis Perak](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721098519_suspekbunuhNurFar.jpg)
Suspek kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini belum ditahan tugas - Polis Perak
Polis Perak sedang menunggu hasil siasatan terhadap suspek yang juga anggota di kontinjen negeri itu sebelum tindakan jabatan diambil berhubung kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah.
![Kapal USS Blue Ridge berlabuh di Pelabuhan Klang, perkukuh hubungan Malaysia-AS Kapal USS Blue Ridge berlabuh di Pelabuhan Klang, perkukuh hubungan Malaysia-AS](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721207510_TLDM.jpg)
Kapal USS Blue Ridge berlabuh di Pelabuhan Klang, perkukuh hubungan Malaysia-AS
Kapal USS Blue Ridge (LCC19) berlabuh di Malaysia, tanda hubungan bilateral AS-Malaysia diperkukuh.
![Media diingatkan tidak keluar kenyataan langkau siasatan polis Media diingatkan tidak keluar kenyataan langkau siasatan polis](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/61711350467_TBHUSSEINOMARjp.jpg)
Media diingatkan tidak keluar kenyataan langkau siasatan polis
Pengamal media diingatkan supaya tidak mengeluarkan sebarang kenyataan melangkaui siasatan polis berhubung mana-mana kes dalam proses siasatan.
![Isu salah guna kuasa: Tiada kompromi terhadap anggota PBT terlibat - Dr Zaliha Isu salah guna kuasa: Tiada kompromi terhadap anggota PBT terlibat - Dr Zaliha](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/41718274360_ZalihaMustafa.jpg)
Isu salah guna kuasa: Tiada kompromi terhadap anggota PBT terlibat - Dr Zaliha
Terserah kepada SPRM atau mana-mana agensi penguat kuasa untuk mengambil tindakan sewajarnya terhadap individu yang melanggar peraturan.
![Vietnam sasar capai 100 peratus liputan jalur lebar di lebuh raya, landasan kereta api menjelang 2025 Vietnam sasar capai 100 peratus liputan jalur lebar di lebuh raya, landasan kereta api menjelang 2025](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721207496_vietnamlebuhraya.jpg)
Vietnam sasar capai 100 peratus liputan jalur lebar di lebuh raya, landasan kereta api menjelang 2025
Sasaran ini adalah berikutan rancangan Kementerian Penerangan dan Komunikasi untuk meningkatkan kualiti rangkaian telekomunikasi mudah alih.
![Bunuh kekasih hamil: Bekas polis terlepas hukuman gantung Bunuh kekasih hamil: Bekas polis terlepas hukuman gantung](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721202906_bunuhkekasih.jpg)
Bunuh kekasih hamil: Bekas polis terlepas hukuman gantung
Seorang bekas anggota polis terlepas tali gantung selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan mengetepikan hukuman gantung terhadapnya kerana membunuh kekasihnya yang hamil pada 2015.
AWANI Ringkas: Presiden UMNO serah kepada rauf ambil tindakan
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
J.D Vance pernah menjadi pengkritik utama Trump
J.D Vance yang diumumkan sebagai bakal Naib Presiden Amerika Syarikat yang akan bergandingan dengan calon Republikan, Donald Trump membuat pengakuan bahawa sebelum ini beliau merupakan pengkritik keras Trump.
Babydog ramal kemenangan besar Parti Republikan
Tidak cukup penganalisis politik, anjing pun dijadikan sandaran meramalkan siapa Presiden Amerika Syarikat.