ROME- A 40-year-old Eritrean man is in hospital following a fight that broke out in the Roman suburb of Tiburtino III, early on Wednesday morning. His injuries are not thought to be serious.

 The incident took place in a centre for immigrants on via del Frantoio. Police and Carabinieri were called to the scene at around 00.30 Wednesday but by this point the crowd had dispersed. The problems began Tuesday evening, 22.30, when the Eritrean man, who is living in the shelter, started throwing stones at several young boys who were playing nearby. According to Il Messaggero, none of them were actually hit, but on hearing of the events, the mother of one of the boys went to the shelter to confront the man who had been throwing rocks at her son.

 From this point on proceedings took on a more sinister slant with an argument that ended in the woman being prevented from leaving the building, having been surrounded by a crowd of immigrants. Friends and family rushed to her aid and confronted the migrants. By the end of the fight, the same Eritrean man, who was throwing the stones, had been injured- cut with a knife and hit on the shoulder by a bottle. He has been taken to hospital in Pertini but is not in a life threatening condition.

 Mauro Antonini, responsible for the Cpi of Lazio, commented, “the social bomb we have been scared of for the past two years has finally exploded in Tiburtino III”. “We have warned these organisations and the authorities that the shelters will be closed down” he added, “they are welcoming more people than they have room for and these people aren’t political refugees, they lie out on the streets during the day, particularly the part nearest the local elementary school”. “It’s obvious that in a suburb such as this, the presence of foreigners sparks unrest amongst the locals”.

 “Only those from the political left could accuse us of racism and tell us stories of peaceful coexistence. We prefer to look at the real situation, and it just so happens that the residents of Tiburtino III have got there first”.