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Clashes between police and evicted migrants in central Rome

Police use water cannon against evicted migrants near Rome's Termini station.

A major clean-up is underway in Rome's Piazza dell'Indipendenza on 24 August after six hours of clashes between riot police and around 100 migrants evicted recently from a building on nearby Via Curtatone.

Clashes continued into the afternoon with police baton charging migrants in the bus terminal outside Rome's central Termini station.

The violent scenes followed the recent eviction of 800 migrants, mainly refugees or asylum seekers from Eritrea - many of them women and children - who had occupied a former office building illegally for several years.

Police used water cannon against the protesters, some of whom retaliated by throwing rocks, petrol bombs and open gas canisters.

Describing it as a "very sad situation", Unicef Italia said the 800 people evicted have been "thrown into the street in inhumane conditions without a real sustainable alternative."

However police claim the migrants have turned down alternative accommodation in the city's Torre Maura and Boccea suburbs.

 
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