Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Rome today to protest against tougher immigration policies backed by Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s government.

Hundreds of members and supporters of anti-capitalist group Globalise Resistance today attended a conference where there was an overwhelmingly anti-war mood, a spokeswoman for the organisation said.

The mother of a British man being held in custody in Genoa following vicious rioting in the city insisted today her son had nothing to do with the violence.