ROME -- Italy's government vowed Sunday to defend far-right Northern League leader Matteo Salvini's right to free speech after violent clashes marred his first rally in Naples, proud capital of the country's poor south. Saturday's violence came after a handful of demonstrators broke away from a protest march. In the run-up to Saturday's clashes, the independent left-winger had branded Salvini a fascist xenophobe with contempt for southern Italy. He also tried to use his mayoral powers to deny the far-right leader a venue for his first rally in Naples. "Handing Salvini the stamp of being the defender of free speech and the right of political leaders to voice their opinions was, frankly, an unthinkable short-circuit,"said Renzi.

Source: The China Post March 13, 2017 18:31 UTC