Clashes were reported between law enforcement and protesters in Trieste and Milan in northern Italy on Saturday night.
According to the Tgcom24 news channel, several hundred protesters against the mandatory green pass tried to break into Unity of Italy Square in Trieste, where demonstrators are not allowed until the end of the year per the decision of the city authorities. Police reportedly used batons against protesters to drive them away from the square.
According to journalists at the scene, demonstrators threw chairs and tables from local bars, as well as glass bottles at the carabinieri and police officers. As protesters started to leave the city center, some of them reportedly staged a sit-in demonstration.
Several people have been detained.
In Milan, around 4,000 demonstrators who took to the streets unexpectedly changed the route approved by the authorities, and the police blocked the crowd near the University of Bocconi. Small groups of protesters tried to break through the chain of law enforcement officers and lit smoke bombs.
From 15 October, all workers in Italy must present the electronic COVID-19 vaccination certificate to access their workplaces.