Police clashed with rioters in Naples yesterday during protests against the visit of Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, whose party has been known for its anti-southern rhetoric.

Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse an estimated two to three hundred people who broke away from a peaceful march and started throwing rocks and petrol bombs.

People in black hoods and helmets uprooted street signs and set fire to knocked-down garbage bins in the western part of the city, near the football stadium Stadio San Paolo.

Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris this week backed protesters who had tried to stop Salvini from speaking in Naples but Italy's Interior Minister Marco Minniti stepped in asking local police to ensure the visit took place.

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