Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri told RAI television on Wednesday that "the State will not tolerate violent behaviour" after protests against the government's COVID-19-linked restrictions again turned ugly overnight.
There were big clashes in central Rome on Tuesday although several Italian cities have been hit by violent protests in recent days, including Milan, Turin and Naples.
The government has ordered, among other things, that bars and restaurants must stop serving customers at 18:00 and it has closed the nation's cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools completely after a sharp rise in contagion.
On Tuesday Premier Giuseppe Conte's cabinet approved over five billion euros in aid for the sectors affected by the restrictions.
There are reports that in several cases far-right groups and soccer hooligans have infiltrated what started out as peaceful protests and caused them to degenerate.
"There are violent, neo-fascist groups that have nothing to do with the sectors in difficulty and are taking advantage of people's suffering to be violent," Gualtieri said.
Investigative sources said Wednesday that 16 people have been reported to criminal prosecutors by police over the violence in the area of Rome's Piazza del Popolo on Tuesday.
Protestors threw flares and other objects at police, who responded by using water canons.
Another 28 people have been cited in relation to protests in Milan on Monday, when six people were also arrested in Turin after violence and looting there.
Milan prosecutors are set to open an investigation and look at possible coordination between groups of 'ultra' soccer fans all over Italy to cause the trouble, sources said.
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