The priest who spoke for us all: Cleric goes viral after giving protesters the finger while protecting worshippers from far-left mob at his church

An Italian priest has gone viral after flipping off protesters while protecting his congregation from a far-left mob. 

The priest, identified as 65-year-old Father Giannicola Maria Simone of the Saint Alexander of Zebedia church in the heart of Milan, was seen giving a protester the finger. 

Footage showed a masked and hooded young man swearing at the priest. 

Fr Simone was seen calmly returning the gesture as he stood outside the ancient place of worship. 

The incident took place last weekend, amid violence across Italy inspired by the riots seen in France. 

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, he said he allowed many people seeking protection to come into the church: 'They weren't worshippers, but tourists and other passersby. They stayed here until the chaos passed.

'As these young people were walking by, someone gave me the middle finger. They're kids, so I'm not surprised. I gave them the middle finger back, but without any violent intentions or the risk of sparking further anger.'

When asked whether he repented for the gesture, he said: 'No, I don't think we should talk about repentance. If I had thrown a punch, yes, but I've never raised my hand to anyone, not even in the most difficult moments.' 

Asked whether he had spoken to the attackers, he said: 'I tried to chat with them, I wanted to understand what was on their minds, but their answers were very vague. They said, "We don't know why we're here, everyone came, so I came too".'

On Wednesday, retailers said a protest by Italian truck drivers over fuel prices and the cost of living is causing food shortages in shops, with deliveries disrupted and fresh produce rotting. 

The protests, which began in southern Italy last week, have also disrupted operations in at least two regional airports in Calabria because they cannot get deliveries of aviation fuel.

With traffic snarled in various parts of the country, long queues formed on the A1 motorway near the southern city of Naples after truckers restricted access.

Trucks and tractors drove into the central square in the northeastern city of Ravenna as the protests spread and farmers added their voices.

The ANCD-Conad group, representing retailers operating under the Conad supermarket brand, said large quantities of perishable products including fruit and vegetables, as well as milk and meat were stranded on trucks and in warehouses.

'The freedom to protest cannot translate into undermining citizens' right to receive fresh food or destroying the value created by Italy's agri-food supply chains,' said the group's president Maurizio Pelliconi. 

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet plans to meet on Thursday to approve a package bringing together aid measures for truck drivers and farmers, her office said in a statement.

The government has set aside around €1billion (£840million) this year to help truck drivers cope with surging fuel costs and replace older vehicles with less-polluting models.

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi called for an end to the protests, saying they were also disrupting supplies to hospitals, and warned the government was prepared to take a harder line against hauliers.

'If someone is breaking the law, then at a certain point the law must be enforced,' he told reporters.

With tensions over economic difficulties running high in Italy, weekend riots saw gangs of mainly young people go on the rampage in Milan and other northern cities.

The government responded on Tuesday with a new security decree targeting under-age offenders.