ROME, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Sixteen people were injured in Rome during violent clashes between police and protesters, Italian police said.
Three hundred protesters were on the streets Thursday to take issue with rising rents, evictions, homelessness and economic hardship, ANSA reported.
Four police officers and two demonstrators were taken to hospitals with injuries following the clashes. Others were treated at the scene.
Eight protesters were arrested for assaulting police officers, ANSA said.
The incident is regarded as the worst street violence in Rome since October 2011's anti-capitalist demonstrations.
The latest clashes began after police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who were climbing on an armored van. Conflict ensued and protesters attempted to break through a police barricade using pepper spray.
Protesters threw fruit and other objects at police, the report said.
