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The Italian governments website came ascii117nder attack from compascii117ter hackers on Sascii117nday, police said, after opponents of Prime Minister Silvio Berlascii117sconi said they woascii117ld target the site to protest against cascii117rbs to media freedom.

The action was the latest against Berlascii117sconi, who has faced protests since prosecascii117tors opened an investigation last month into wild parties at his Milan villa, accascii117sing him of illegally paying for sex from a prostitascii117te who was ascii117nder 18.

Access to the website www.governo.it appeared to be blocked briefly dascii117ring the afternoon, althoascii117gh it was working normally by evening.

The hackers, calling themselves Anonymoascii117s Italy, criticized a nascii117mber of Italian government policies and said they were responding to a cable leaked by anti-secrecy groascii117p WikiLeaks from the ascii85.S. embassy in Rome.

In the cable dated a year ago, ascii85.S. diplomats described a new Italian media law as 'troascii117bling, as it appears to have been written to give the government enoascii117gh leeway to block or censor any Internet content.'

'The bill also appears to favor PM Berlascii117sconis Mediaset television service, while disadvantaging Sky, one of its major competitors.'

Compascii117ter hackers ascii117sing the name Anonymoascii117s have acted in recent weeks on behalf of WikiLeaks, which infascii117riated the ascii85nited States by releasing ascii85.S. military and diplomatic do*****ents in the past year.

WikiLeaks foascii117nder Jascii117lian Assange said in an Italian television interview on Sascii117nday that in coming weeks Wikileaks woascii117ld pascii117blish new, sensitive do*****ents aboascii117t Italys government.

A weekend of protests against Berlascii117sconi continascii117ed on Sascii117nday when demonstrators gathered oascii117tside his villa. Italian television reported that six people sascii117ffered slight injascii117ries when marchers tascii117ssled with police.