Tens of thousands of people rallied in various cities across Italy over the weekend, with isolated clashes flaring as tensions threatened to boil over ahead of next weekend's election. The country sent 5,000 police officers out to keep order during more than 119 demonstrations nationwide, according to the interior ministry, after violence erupted during similar protests earlier this month.
Security checks were in place at Milan's central cathedral square, where the right-wing populist League party expected 50,000 people at an afternoon rally headed by party leader Matteo Salvini. Salvini, who is looking to secure votes ahead of the March 4 elections, told the crowd that the only thing he would give illegal migrants was a return ticket to go back to where they came from.
The neo-fascist party CasaPound also held a rally in the northern Italian city. Leftist counter-protesters at that event clashed with security officials, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. The Interior Ministry spoke of "individual and limited tension."
In Rome, left-wing groups and the Social Democratic Party took to the streets against racism, with some 25,000 estimated to attend. Police said more people attended the demonstration than expected.
Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also took part in the demonstrations.
There have been numerous clashes between anti-fascist and far-right activists across the country, particularly after a racially motivated attack on Feb. 3 by a far-right gunman in the central city of Macerata that left six African migrants wounded. The violence comes amid fears of a revival of far-right groups in the election, after several European countries shifted to the right in recent years against a backdrop of economic and migration woes.
The competing parties can still hold election campaign events up until Friday. On March 4, around 51 million Italians can head to the polls to vote for a new parliament.
Polls have placed the center-right alliance consisting of Salvini's League, the Forza Italia led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and other smaller right-wing parties in the lead.
Meanwhile, the governing Democratic Party is facing a bitter defeat. Many Italians are expected to cast protest votes for the populist, anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which is on pace to be the largest single party in parliament.