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Police arrested 38 activists during clashes at protests in Rome against the Group of Eight summit in central Italy. At one impromptu demonstration early in the week, protesters with covered faces and helmets blocked roads and set fire to garbage bins and tires near one of the capital's universities. Of 36 people taken in for questioning from that rally, 11 were detained on various charges, including a citizen each from France, Poland and Germany, said police spokesperson Vittorugo Caggiano. He said the rest would be released late yesterday. As night fell, some 50 demonstrators blocked tracks at Rome's main train station, hurling stones at police in anti-riot gear. Caggiano said two protesters, a Spaniard and a German, were arrested as police dispersed the crowd. Separately, police in L'Aquila seized a baseball bat and metal bars from the car of five French protesters. They were not arrested. Several protests have been planned in Rome and L'Aquila, which will host the summit that took place in early July. L'Aquila was chosen to highlight the city's devastation after it was hit by an earthquake in April. Also, Bader TV was on hand as far-left groups held a peaceful protest in Rome's historic Piazza Barberini, just below the glitzy Via Veneto, where the U.S. Embassy and several luxury hotels hosting foreign delegates are located.