Protesters clashed with police in Vicenza on Saturday after a demonstration against the presence of Israeli exhibitors at an international jewellery exhibition.

Police used water cannon against demonstrators who fired smoke bombs and flares after violence erupted after a planned march by hundreds of people, some holding up banners saying “Free Palestine” and “Stop Bombing Gaza.”

More than 1,300 exhibitors from almost 40 countries are showing at the Vicenzaoro fair, which opened on Friday and runs until Tuesday, according to organisers.

A spokesman told AFP that the clashes took place several miles away and had no impact on the event, while declining to give information on the Israeli presence at the fair.

Giacomo Possamai, the mayor of north-east Italian city, said there was “no justification” for the violence.

“It also hurts the causes that it claims to support - it is a contradiction in terms to demonstrate for peace and a ceasefire through violence,” he said on social media.