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Riots erupt after Berlusconi survives vote

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Violent protests erupted on Tuesday in Rome after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi survived a key no-confidence vote.

An Italian policeman arrests a demonstrator during anti-government clashes near the parliament building in Rome December 14, 2010. [China Daily/Agencies]

Protesters banged the metal blinds of shuttered shops in the center of Rome, set blaze to cars, threw paint and smoke bombs at the Italian Chamber of Deputies and clashed with riot police.

Police said the riots left at least 50 people injured, including policemen.

The number of protesters in Rome is around 100,000, according to the organizers' estimation.

The protesters had expected that Berlusconi would fall and wanted to stage a victory demonstration.

Riot police tried to block off protesters' access to the Chamber of Deputies before they fired tear gas and struck some of the protesters with truncheons in running street fights.

Berlusconi avoided the downfall of his government on Tuesday by narrowly surviving a crucial no-confidence vote in Italy's lower house of parliament by three votes.

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