Alwaght- Anti-G7 protests in Italy have turned violent after police used teargas to tear gas at the protesters.
The violence erupted as the protesters reportedly veered off the approved route and approached a police checkpoint.
The protesters, however, promptly formed a new column and approached the checkpoint again, chanting “Sicily is not afraid.”
After the altercation with the police, the procession eventually turned away and moved towards Taormina’s town hall.
According to Italian media estimates, about 3,000 people were participating in the march with organizers saying the low turnout was due to heavy security. Protestors have blamed the police for criminalizing their peaceful dissent. Organizers of the protest say they did not intend to destroy public property and that they turned out to rally against Sicily being turned into a giant aircraft carrier for the world's military powers.
Italians are also opposed to Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), part of an ultra-fast satellite communications network for the American military that locals say poses a health risk to people living near the infrastructure.
Fears of violent protests like the ones seen during a G7 summit in the northern Italian city of Genoa in 2001 prompted the mayor of Giardini Naxos to order all local businesses to close for the day.
Sixteen years ago throngs of protesters in Genoa clashed with authorities in street battles spread out over two days, and police shot dead an anti-globalisation protester during some of Italy's worst-ever riots.
The summit of Group of Seven wealthy nations pitted US president Donald Trump against the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan on several issues, with European diplomats frustrated at having to revisit questions they hoped were long settled.
Trump, who has previously called global warming a hoax, tweeted that he would make a decision next week on whether to back the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing carbon emissions following lengthy discussions with G7 partners.
During the meeting at the Mediterranean Sea coastline, hosts Italy had hoped that the summit would focus on Europe's migration crisis and the problems of neighboring Africa.
The internal G7 squabbles and a terrorist attack in Britain on Monday, that killed 22, overshadowed the Italian agenda.
