Rival protests spark tensions
Rival demonstrations by far-right and anti-fascist groups a week before Italy's general election have led to scuffles with police. Police in Milan used batons as left-wing demonstrators tried to break through a cordon.
Elsewhere, the leader of the anti-immigration League party, Matteo Salvini, told supporters that defense of the country was a "sacred duty". Protests also took place in Rome and the Sicilian city of Palermo.
As the election campaign enters its final week, opinion polls suggest that the right-wing Forza Italia party led by former PM Silvio Berlusconi is in the lead. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement will be vying with Berlusconi's party for the top spot in the 4 March election.
