Leftist stabbed but CasaPound say victim

(ANSA) - Perugia, February 21 - An Italian man was stabbed while sticking up posters for the tiny leftist Power to the People party for the March 4 general election in Perugia on Wednesday - but the far-right CasaPound group said they were the victims in the incident. The 37-year-old was not badly hurt, local sources said. The incident happened on the outskirts of the Umbrian city. Police were called to the scene by an anonymous phone tip-off reporting a scuffle, sources said.
    The victim said he had been surrounded by a group of people and stabbed three times, while another man who was with him was hit on the head.
    Both men were treated in hospital and have already been discharged.
    CasaPound issued a statement saying "in last night's attack in Perugia those attacked were militants of CasaPound Italia, who restricted themselves to defending themselves from a cold-blooded attack, as the cameras of the scene will show".
    CasaPound's Umbria chief Antonio Ribecco said "we are now going to report the attack by person or persons unknown".