(ANSA) - Palermo, November 17 - Crowds of young
demonstrators took to the streets across Italy Thursday, some
throwing stones and smoke bombs as they blamed banks and
financial institutions for the ongoing economic crisis.
In Milan, clashes erupted as protestors made their way to Bocconi University, the prestigious school of economics where newly appointed Premier Mario Monti was dean.
Demonstrators called his technocratic cabinet a "government of bankers", a reference to the fact that many ministers come from finance and economics backgrounds.
Monti was to present the reform package his emergency government intends to implement to avert a financial calamity in the Senate before facing a confidence vote there on Thursday. Similar demonstrations took place throughout other major cities, where participants ranged from students to the unemployed and were part of the "Block Everything Day" organized by student groups to coincide with International Students' Day as well as a national transit strike. In Palermo, demonstrators threw eggs and smoke bombs at various bank headquarters.
Some attempted to occupy the headquarters of the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, until now led by Industry and Infrastructure Minister Corrado Passera, but police intervened.
One protestor suffered head injuries.
Protestors wrote "thieves, give us back our money" on the walls outside the tax-collecting agency. At one point police resorted to using tear gas against masked protesters who were throwing rocks, bricks and smoke bombs.
In Milan, clashes erupted as protestors made their way to Bocconi University, the prestigious school of economics where newly appointed Premier Mario Monti was dean.
Demonstrators called his technocratic cabinet a "government of bankers", a reference to the fact that many ministers come from finance and economics backgrounds.
Monti was to present the reform package his emergency government intends to implement to avert a financial calamity in the Senate before facing a confidence vote there on Thursday. Similar demonstrations took place throughout other major cities, where participants ranged from students to the unemployed and were part of the "Block Everything Day" organized by student groups to coincide with International Students' Day as well as a national transit strike. In Palermo, demonstrators threw eggs and smoke bombs at various bank headquarters.
Some attempted to occupy the headquarters of the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, until now led by Industry and Infrastructure Minister Corrado Passera, but police intervened.
One protestor suffered head injuries.
Protestors wrote "thieves, give us back our money" on the walls outside the tax-collecting agency. At one point police resorted to using tear gas against masked protesters who were throwing rocks, bricks and smoke bombs.
