In Rome protests inspired by Occupy Wall Street protestors are infiltrated by anarchists leading to widespread violence.

Courtesy of The Daily Beast:

What began as a peaceful protest with reggae music and colorful rainbow peace signs in support of the global Occupy movement ended in what can only be described as total anarchy and urban warfare on the cobbled streets of Rome on Saturday. 

Less than an hour into the organized demonstrations, which started at La Sapienza University with students legitimately protesting education cuts and their bleak future, a single car exploded on the Via Cavour not far from Rome’s historic Colosseum. From that moment on, chaos reigned and the Italian capital turned into a battleground. 

Police say more than 500 anarchists—many who justify their violent acts under the mantra of those known as “black bloc”—infiltrated the otherwise peaceful protests. They were easily identifiable by their face masks and motorcycle helmets, not to mention the Molotov cocktails and paper bombs in their hands. One group known as Total Black was particularly ominous, dressed in all black with only their expressionless faces exposed. As the peaceful crowd shouted and waved their banners about joblessness, education cuts, and the dire state of Italy’s economy, the darker movement slowly stole center stage, breaking windows and torching cars. 

At one point during the march, peaceful protesters took megaphones and urged the anarchists to go home. “Please, this is a peaceful demonstration against legitimate government issues,” one woman yelled. “Go home, let us protest in peace.” Moments later, the peaceful protesters started kicking and pummeling the violent faction among them. “Go home!” they yelled, turning and spitting on them. 

Still, the anarchists persisted until they reached the final police barrier in Piazza San Giovanni. There, police used water cannons and tear gas to keep them at bay until they could be cornered and arrested. Those who escaped started new scuffles throughout the city. The peaceful protesters tried briefly to renew their momentum and finish their demonstration and vowed to take to the streets again next week so their voices could be heard.

This has always been a concern for the protestors that others would infiltrate their ranks and start trouble that they then would get blamed for thereby sabotaging the movement.

We saw the same thing happen, on a smaller scale, in DC.

The OWS protests, and their European doppelgangers, have to stay vigilant to protect their brand and keep troublemakers from giving the authorities reason to treat them all like criminals.  Not an easy task I know, but one well worth the effort. And while they are doing that, it is up to all the rest of us to make sure that the truth is reported instead of the lies that those working against this movement are desperate to disseminate.