Sep 3, 2009, 11:19 GMT
Rome - Hundreds of people in Rome demonstrated on Thursday against intolerance and discrimination, in reaction to a series of assaults against homosexuals in the city, local media reported.
Around 300 people assembled for a sit-down strike in the Via San Giovanni in Laterano. The street near the city's famous Colosseum is considered Rome's 'Gay Street.'
The protest came after three assaults against homosexuals within several days in which unknown assailants on a motorcycle threw homemade firecrackers at a gay meeting place on Via San Giovanni. One man was injured in the assaults.
Mayor Gianni Alemanno condemned the attacks and has arranged for an increase in police presence in the affected areas by October.
Opposition politicians, however, say that the 2008 election of Alemanno, a member of the post-fascist National Alliance party, has made Rome an 'open city for fascists.'
Two weeks ago in Rome, a gay couple was attacked at the entrance of a bar by a knife-wielding right-wing extremist. One of the victims remains hospitalized.
Aurelio Mancuso, president of Arcigay, a gay federation, stated that homophobic acts across Italy are an daily occurrence.
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