Urban guerrilla warfare came to the Vatican at the weekend as the Pope's controversial audience with the former leader org Haider, of the Austrian Freedom Party org Haider, prompted clashes between police and anti-Haider demonstrators. Mr Jorg Haider's allegation that Rome's political leaders were weak, further aggravated the situation.
In his role as governor of the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, Mr Haider led a delegation to the Vatican on Saturday morning to hand over an 80-foot Christmas tree, now standing in St Peter's Square, complete with 24-hour police guard. Although the Vatican had pointed out last week that the donation from Carinthia had been made three years ago, before Mr Haider became governor, the visit prompted widespread protests.
Despite being urged by leftwing politicians, Jewish groups and former resistance fighters not to receive Mr Haider, the Vatican insisted on sticking to its open-door policy. Accordingly, Mr Haider met Pope John Paul during a brief collective audience in the Apostolic Palace on Saturday morning. The audience ended with the distribution of the Pope's World Peace Day message on cultural dialogue to all members of the Carinthian delegation, including Mr Haider.
Violence broke out in the afternoon when demonstrators tried to force their way up Via Della Conciliazione, leading to St Peter's Square, where MrHaider was attending a ceremony to mark the switching on of the lights on the Christmas tree. Carrying a huge banner bearing a photograph of the Auschwitz concentration camp, together with the slogan "Never Again", the demonstrators clashed with police who had cordoned off the street. In the ensuing scuffles, more than 60 demonstrators and police personnel were injured, none seriously.
Mr Haider told reporters he had come to Rome "not on a political mission but rather as an angel of peace". However, he added to the political tension when he criticised both President Ciampi and the Prime Minister, Mr Giuliano Amato, arguing they were both "weak" and unwilling to confront Italy's clandestine immigration problem.
Later, when informed that Jewish shopkeepers in Rome had turned off their lights by way of protest on Saturday afternoon, Mr Haider reacted provocatively: "They've turned their lights off, have they? Maybe they just wanted to save on electricity."