Pro-Palestinian groups were among the organizers of a demonstration against the Winter Olympics in the host city of Milan, whose fringes turned violent, Italian media reported on Sunday.

Although the protest, which took place on Saturday, mostly focused on the environmental and financial impact of the Olympics, at least one Pro-Palestinian activist addressed the participants, according to the daily newspaper La Repubblica.

Marchers also held placards denouncing Israel and demanding that it be ousted from the Games.

Smaller demonstrations against Israel’s participation in the Games also took place in previous days.

The Saturday demonstration started peacefully, with an estimated 10,000 people taking to the streets of Milan on the first full day of the Games. However, toward evening, a group of around 100 protesters threw firecrackers, smoke bombs and bottles at police after breaking away from the main body of the rally.

Police in riot gear and with shields responded with water cannon to try to disperse the group, some of whose members wore hoods and scarves to cover their faces. Order was restored after a few minutes. Six people were detained, police sources said.

The march was organized by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social center community activists protesting against the housing costs, the presence of US ICE agents in Milan, and the felling of hundreds of trees to build the new bobsled run in the Alpine........

© The Times of Israel