Clashes at pro-Palestinian march against Italy v Israel World Cup qualifier

UDINE, Italy :Thousands of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators on Tuesday marched in the northern Italian city of Udine before Italy's World Cup soccer qualifier against Israel, concluding their mostly peaceful protest with clashes involving police.

The march, attended by over 5,000 participants according to preliminary police estimates, wound its way through the city centre from late afternoon, before the match at the Friuli Stadium kicked off at 20:45 (1845 GMT).

Organisers, Committee for Palestine-Udine, called on FIFA, soccer's global governing body, to ban Israel from all competitions, saying the team supported "occupation policies" in the Palestinian territories.

Protesters carried an 18-metre Palestinian flag and a large red banner with the demonstration's slogan, "Show Israel the red card". A metal statue symbolising justice held scales in one hand and a red card in the other.

"There has been a ceasefire, but not peace. As I wrote on my placard, there can be no peace without justice," said demonstrator Valentina Bianchi.

At the end of the march, some protesters threw firecrackers and crowd control barriers at anti-riot police, who responded with water cannons and tear gas.

Ansa news agency reported a journalist was injured in the clashes and rushed to hospital.

Organisers pressed ahead with the protest even after Israel and militant group Hamas agreed a ceasefire deal that included the release of the remaining living Israeli hostages and the return of Palestinian prisoners.

SECURITY MEASURES

The Italian soccer federation said just over 9,000 tickets had been sold for the match against Israel, well short of the reduced capacity of 16,000.

Some shops kept their shutters down for the entire day while others closed in the