(ANSA-AFP) - ROME, OCT 18 - Police in Italy on Monday used water cannon and tear gas against protesters at the northeastern port of Trieste following a three-day demonstration against a new mandatory workplace Covid pass. Dozens of police in riot gear faced off against hundreds of remaining demonstrators and port workers who began blocking one of the port entrances Friday in protest against Italy's so-called Green Pass. "Liberty, liberty!" shouted protesters, as others yelled "We're not violent, put down your shields". Police managed to clear the entrance after a few hours of standoff, pushing demonstrators to a nearby parking lot. Trieste dock workers had called a strike Friday despite being offered free Covid tests, and their protest attracted demonstrators from out of town. The Green Pass, which offers proof of vaccination, recent recovery from Covid-19 or a negative test, became mandatory in all workplaces on Friday throughout Italy. The new regulation spurred a wave of protests across the country, although most were small and not disruptive.

More than 6,500 people demonstrated at the Trieste port, however, at the height of the protest Friday. Although more than 85 percent of Italians over the age of 12 have received at least one vaccine jab, qualifying them for the pass, there remain up to three million workers estimated to be unvaccinated.

(ANSA-AFP).