91Èȱ¬

An Italian mayor has marked International Women's Day by giving female residents free cans of pepper spray so they can defend themselves "against people with malicious intentions".

Mayor Tomasso Fiazza, a member of the populist right-wing Northern League, made the unusual gift to the women of Fontevivo instead of the more traditional yellow mimosa flowers given on International Women's Day in Italy, . "Obviously, flowers are beautiful but far too many women are downtrodden, attacked and sexually assaulted," Mr Fiazza says. "We want to help them defend themselves". A note inside the gift packaging says that the canisters represent a "simple and practical tool to protect women from evil... We hope you never have to use it".

Quoting a report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, says that 152 women were murdered in Italy in 2014, and 27% of Italian women reported physical or sexual abuse by current or previous partners. The pepper-spray programme, which is said to cost the town 600 euros ($658; £462), will be ongoing and will entitle any woman in the town to "anti-assault kits".

However, the "gift" has not been well received in some quarters, . Patrizia Maestri, a MP representing the centre-left Democratic Party, : "Is a town in our province really giving out pepper spray as an 'initiative' for Women's Day? A great cultural operation - that's so sad". But Mr Fiazza is in no mood to back to down: "So far, not one citizen has complained."

Next story: Blog post stirs anger in Japan over child care

Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via .