Rome cleans up after ‘day of rage’
Needs $1.4 million to recover from havoc wreaked by ‘Occupy Wall Street’ rioters
The global ''Day of Rage'' against the world’s financial system won some limited sympathy from political and economic leaders on Sunday, after protests that were peaceful everywhere but Italy.
Cities from east Asia to Europe and north America saw rallies on Saturday denouncing capitalism, inequality and economic crisis, but riot police were busy only in Rome.
The city cleared up on Sunday, a day after masked “Black Bloc” protesters torched cars, attacked banks and hurled rocks.
“They must be condemned by everyone without reservation,” Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.
“Yesterday we once again showed the world the anomaly of Italy and today, again, we have to feel shame,” La Stampa newspaper said. Mayor Gianni Alemanno said the capital would long suffer the “moral damage” of the rampage.
He said that it could cost at least a €1 million ($1.4 million) to recover from the havoc wreaked by rioters.
Many Italians asked why police had managed to arrest only 12 of the violent demonstrators.
Tens of thousands of other “indignant ones” had marched peacefully against the government of deeply-indebted Italy.
On Sunday, a small group of peaceful protesters gathered by a church near where some of the violence took place to continue a sit-in. “We are the real indignant ones,” one said.
Lisbon and Madrid also saw tens of thousands march on Saturday. Spanish outrage has been fuelled by multi-million-euro payouts for top staff at failed regional banks, amid high unemployment and harsh spending cuts.
But most turnouts worldwide were lower. “People don’t want to get involved. They’d rather watch on TV,” said Troy Simmons, 47, protesting in New York, where the Occupy Wall Street movement that inspired the global day of unrest began.
