Pictures: Effort to Modernise Italy is Met With Anti-Capitalist Rioting

Rioting 1 small
Reuters

The opening of a vast, six-month long international Expo in Italian city Milan has been beset by rioting by left-wing anti-capitalists, who have torched cars, attacked police, and vandalised businesses.

The 2015 Expo, which besides the already formidable task of seeking to modernise the old image of a corrupt, inefficient Italy and bring it into the first flight of global business nations, also seeks to ‘feed the world’, focussing on global food and nutrition.

Rioting 3

Rioters, wearing motorcycle helmets and carrying batons face up against the police / Reuters

 

City officials hoped the fair, which opened yesterday and is expected to attract 20 million visitors, would give Italy’s fashion and banking capital a boost in international stature. The Italian government, which has invested 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in it, wants the fair to help push Italy out of its economic doldrums. Instead, the first glimpse of the purpose-built exhibition centre for many the world over is a vision of fires, rioting, and anarchy.

Tear-gas was used to disperse rioters last night, and water cannon were deployed in a vain attempt to keep peace, and extinguish fires.

Rioting 1

Riot police stand by a burning car in Milan yesterday / Reuters

Rioting 7

Mask-wearing rioters walk through the streets of Milan / Reuters

 

Rioting 6

On the inside, the Italian pavilion at the expo is a clean white space of modern architecture and art / Reuters

 

Rioting 4

Tear gas is used to repel rioters / Reuters

 

Rioting 5

Police extinguish a colleague hit by a Molotov cocktail / Reuters

 

Rioting 2

Parked cars burn after being torched by anti-capitalism protesters / Reuters

 

The Associated Press Contributed to This Report

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.