WEB DESK

Tens of thousands of people marched in rival far-right and anti-fascist demonstrations across Italy, ahead of next weekend’s election.

Police said, 15 to 20,000 people attended a campaign rally in Milan led by Matteo Salvini, the head of anti-immigration group The League. The group, formerly known as the Northern League, is part of ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition, which opinion polls suggest is leading ahead of the 4th of next month’s polls.

Violence briefly broke out at another Milan demonstration, with police in riot gear briefly grappling with anti-fascist protests marching in reaction to a rally by the neo-fascist CasaPound movement.