TURIN (AFP)--Italian police fired tear gas Tuesday to break up thousands of students protesting against the economic crisis on the sidelines of an international meeting of university leaders.

The students tried to break through a security cordon around the Valentino Castle in Turin where 40 university rectors from 19 countries were meeting, an AFP photographer said.

The demonstrators hurled rocks and fire extinguishers at police, who responded with baton charges and volleys of tear gas. The students tried to attack several nearby banks.