The "Occupy Wall Street" movement went global Saturday, crossing the Atlantic to many European cities, where protesters turned out by the thousands for largely peaceful demonstrations. In many cities, handfuls of protesters donned masks portraying a sinister, smiling face with a pointy black mustache and a thin lip beard taken from the movie "V for Vendetta" about a masked hero who fights against totalitarianism.
Here's a country-by-country look at the European demonstrations:
Italy
An initially peaceful protest in central Rome turned violent Saturday, after anarchists -- some wearing ski masks and belonging to a group termed "Black Bloc" -- torched cars, broke windows and clashed with police. The violent group also fought with other protesters, who attempted to extricate the rowdy anarchists from the march. Rocks, bottles and tear gas canisters flew, and an interior ministry building caught fire in the mayhem. Firefighters battled the blaze at the main gathering spot, the Piazza San Giovanni, which transformed into a battleground between police with water cannons on the one side and anarchists armed with knives, bats, Molotov cocktails and fireworks on the other, Newsweek correspondent Barbie Nadeau told CNN.
Italy, which was hit hard by the global economic crisis, has been struggling with potentially crippling debt problems. Last month, Standard & Poor's cut Italy's sovereign credit rating, saying the nation's weakening economic growth and political uncertainty have dented its financial stability. Italy has debts equal to nearly 120% of its gross domestic product.
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