(ANSA) - Rome, December 18 - Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Angelino Alfano met top security officials early on Wednesday amid fears of violence at a big protest in Rome by the so-called Pitchfork Movement later in the day. The Pitchfork Movement is a loose-knit network originally composed of truckers and farmers opposed to austerity-driven tax hikes that has since grown into an umbrella group for the country's disgruntled, anti-government masses. Protests have snarled traffic and interrupted commerce in various cities throughout Italy for over a week. Numerous probes have been open across Italy into incidents of looting, destruction of private property, and other acts of aggression.