ITALIAN POLICE USE TEAR GAS AS PROTESTS ERUPT NEAR WINTER OLYMPICS HOCKEY ARENA. (PHOTO).

 Italian police use tear gas as protests erupt near Winter Olympics hockey arena

 Italian police used tear gas and a water cannon on Saturday to disperse a small group of violent protesters who threw firecrackers and tried to access a highway near a Winter Olympics venue. The confrontation occurred at the tail end of a largely peaceful demonstration by thousands opposing the environmental impact of the Games and the presence of U.S. security personnel in Italy.

Authorities contained the aggressive protesters, who appeared to be attempting to reach the Santagiulia Olympic ice hockey rink, while the main body of the march, which included families and students, had already dispersed. Earlier, masked demonstrators set off smoke bombs and firecrackers on a bridge near a construction site about half a mile from the Olympic Village, which houses roughly 1,500 athletes. Roads leading to the village were secured by police vans and temporary fencing, but the protest veered toward the hockey venue under heavy police supervision. There were no reports of disruption to athletes’ transfers or events on the outskirts of Milan.

The peaceful portion of the protest drew around 10,000 participants, according to police, with marchers carrying cardboard cutouts symbolizing trees felled to construct a new bobsled track in Cortina. Performers and drummers led the march, while a truck blared music including an anti-ICE anthem. Banners read slogans such as “Let’s take back the cities and free the mountains,” and signs criticized the environmental impact, corporate sponsorship, and alleged law bypasses for infrastructure projects.

The demonstration coincided with U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Milan as head of the American delegation, though he and his family toured Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper in a part of the city far from the protest. Demonstrators remained opposed to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, despite official clarifications that any agents would be confined to diplomatic areas and not active on city streets. Similar protests occurred last week targeting ICE deployments during the Games.