Police clash as quake victims bring protest to Berlusconi

PROTESTERS from the quake-stricken city of L’Aquila clashed with police yesterday before reaching Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s house to demand more state help to rebuild their lives.

The protest by some 5,000 people paralysed the centre of Rome and was a major blow for Berlusconi, who has repeatedly presented his hands-on response to the April 2009 quake as one of the main successes of his two-year-old government.

Two people were slightly injured as police in riot gear tried to control the crowd, which managed to bring their protest right outside Berlusconi’s private residence.