A mob of pro-Palestine protestors in Italy have defaced a statue of the late Pope John Paul II with graffiti labelling him a "fascist".
The act of vandalism comes just weeks after thugs smashed up an iconic Milan train station and clashed with police.
The Pope John Paul II statue outside Rome's Termini railway station in the Piazza Cinquecento was defaced with the words "fascist s***" spray-painted, accompanied by a communist hammer and sickle symbol.
The statue commemorating the Polish pope, who survived Nazi persecution in his homeland, also had a keffiyeh headscarf wrapped around it.
The Pope John Paul II statue outside Rome's Termini train station in the Piazza Cinquecento was defaced
|GETTY
The vandalism was uncovered by Italian police after Rome was hit with a large pro-Palestine protest on September 26, according to La Repubblica.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini slammed the demonstrators, saying: "Desperately seeking a brain for these poor imbeciles."
And PM Giorgia Meloni denounced the vandals, saying: “They say they’re taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace.
“An unworthy act committed by people blinded by ideology, demonstrating total ignorance of history and its protagonists.”
The vandalism was uncovered by Italian police after Rome was hit with a large pro-Palestine protest (pictured)
|GETTY
The news of the statue's vandalism came as hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine activists descended on Rome over the weekend.
The demonstrations saw 11 arrested as nearly 300 brawled with police officers, according to Il Sole 24 Ore.
Reports have emerged that radicals were seen setting fires and battering police officers, who were forced to use water cannons on the unruly mob after 35 officers were injured in the chaos.
After the disorder, Ms Meloni said: “A heartfelt thank you to the law enforcement agencies for the extraordinary work carried out in these complex days, despite having had to face attacks, objects thrown at them, and organised attempts at confrontation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the vandals
| REUTERS“I stand with all the agents who were injured: their professionalism and courage represent an indispensable safeguard for the security of our Nation.”
Pope John Paul II, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, served as the head of the Catholic Church between 1978 and 2005.
He was the third-longest serving pope in Vatican history and was the first non-Italian to hold the post since the 16th century.
Born in Wadowice, Poland in 1920, he survived both Nazi and communist rule in his home nation and even saved a young Jewish woman during the Holocaust.
During his time as a spiritual leader, he became a figurehead in the battle against communist suppression in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ahead of the two-year anniversary of October 7, the northern Italian city of Bologna - a traditional left-wing hotbed due to its large student population - banned a pro-Palestine demonstration from taking place, citing the recent disorder across the country.
The Palestinian Youth Italia group had organised marches in Bologna and Turin in commemoration of Hamas' terrorist attacks in Israel which left around 1,200 people dead.
Despite the ban, the group confirmed on Instagram that they would be gathering in the city anyway.