WHAT was supposed to be a vote on a bill that would grant 20 regions in Italy greater autonomy on how they spend their tax dollars transformed the Italian parliament into a scene of chaos.
Tensions escalated after opposition lawmaker Leonardo Donno shoved an Italian flag to the Coalition Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomy to protest the bill.
Donno has been rushed to the hospital in a wheelchair after receiving punches and is unable to breathe from the chaos.
Lawmakers who opposed the proposal argued that giving some regions more autonomy than others would only worsen the north-south divide in Italy and bring more hardship to the impoverished south.
The fistfight earned itself a place under the spotlight as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed world leaders for the G7 summit.
