Italian neo-fascist group tears down EU flag from EU headquarters

[link to www.brecorder.com] OME: An Italian neo-fascist fringe group scaled the front of the European Commission's Rome headquarters and tore down the EU flag on Saturday after a week of protests against economic hardship and austerity in the country.

Ten people including the deputy president of Casapound, far-right activists who aid the poor and venerate former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, were arrested and charged with theft, resisting authority and unauthorised protest, police said.

The group has seized on a wave of "pitchfork protests" against economic insecurity and the government to hit Italian cities in the last week. On Saturday, students demonstrated in Turin, Italy's main unions rallied outside parliament, and protesters marched in Venice and Ancona.

The widespread demonstrations reflect anger at a discredited political class and Italy's longest post-war recession, which for some has fuelled scepticism about Italy's membership in the EU and the single currency.

"Pitchfork" organisers plan a large demonstration in R

More at link