ROME – Demonstrators against the eviction of the neo-fascist ‘CasaPound’ group from their Casalbertone headquarters threw smoke bombs and charged the police sent to carry out the task, authorities said Thursday. One policeman was injured and once calm was restored, authorities proceeded with the eviction.

 Dozens of protesters, all with their faces covered, appeared some time before 6 a.m. in front of the CasaPound-occupied building in via degli Orti di Malabarba, a short drive west of Termini train station, to oppose the eviction imposed by the judicial authorities.

 When police arrived about an hour before daybreak, the demonstrators threw smoke bombs at the agents and then charged into them. One policeman was injured and taken to hospital.

 Once the situation had been diffused, the police proceeded to evacuate the building and took note of the identities of some of the protesters who took part in the attack.

 Luca Marsella, a former Casapound councillor for Ostia, was stopped at the scene of the eviction and asked for comment.

 “What happened is very serious, every form of dissent is repressed with tear gas and batons,” he said.

 “The decision for this flash eviction comes after the protests against the Draghi government. We were the only ones to take to the streets and this is the consequence.”

 Marsella proceeded to attack the city mayor, saying, “Gualtieri turns up in Rome raging against one of the few occupations that is not flying the red flag,” in reference to the far-left. He continued to defend the neo-facsist movement, saying they have been “the protagonist of many initiatives of solidarity and culture” in the 13 years they have been active.

 CasaPound is short for meaning 'The House of Ezra Pound.' The party chose the American poet as a symbol for the movement due to Pound's role as a fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. However, the poet's daughter, Mary de Rachewiltz, is angered by the usage and claims it represents a "misappropriation" of his image.

 "This organisation is hiding behind Pound's name for intellectual cover," said de Rachewiltz.

ln