Police said Sunday they detained seven people for questioning over their role in violent protests against visiting Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider overnight, in which at least 31 people were injured.
Seven civilians and 24 members of security forces were hurt after clashes broke out late Saturday afternoon when police cordoned off the area near the Vatican where Haider was staying at a hotel and attending a Christmas ceremony in Saint Peter's Square.
Organizers of the protests said more than 30 protesters were injured, some by police batons, rifle butts and tear gas.
On Sunday, Haider attended Mass at a church near Rome's Piazza Navona.
Media coverage of Haider's visit to the Vatican and his brief meeting Saturday with Pope John Paul II continued to be intense Sunday, with newspapers dedicating up to eight pages to what several call Saturday's "anti-Haider guerrilla fighting".
Details about what he had for dinner at a restaurant near the Vatican were also given.
In protest at Haider's extremist positions on the Nazi era and immigration, Jewish shop owners in Rome had dimmed the lights in their stores Saturday evening.
Haider, the governor of Austria's Carinthia region, arrived in Rome Friday at the head of a 250-strong delegation to present John Paul II with a Christmas tree from his home state.
Although he stepped down as leader of Austria's far-right Freedom party earlier this year, Haider is still believed to pull the strings behind the party, which is a junior member of Austria's coalition government headed by Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel -- ROME (AFP)
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