The anti-racism demonstrators protested on Saturday, one week after a far-right activist shot and wounded six African migrants in the same town.
Luca Traini said he carried out the shooting in response to the murder of an 18-year-old Italian girl after police arrested a Nigerian drug dealer in connection with the case.
Immigration is a hot topic in the campaign trail of the election after more than 600,000 migrants have arrived on Italy’s shored from the North Africa in the last four years.
Economic hardships, poverty and unemployment have been growing in Italy and some blame the sheer number of migrants for the situation.
The protesters, who were standing in solidarity with the victims, were from a mixture of NGOs, anti-fascist organisations, unions and leftwing political groups.
The organisers of the march said the intention was to have a peaceful demonstration to reaffirm the value of anti-facsism and anti-racism.
They chanted: “If there is unemployment, blame the government, not the migrants”.
Some people held banners calling Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Northern League party which campaigns strongly against illegal immigrants, a fascist.
Five police officers were injured and forced to receive treatment in hospital in the demonstrations in the Italian town.
Mayor of Macerata Romano Carancini had asked for the demonstration to be cancelled to maintain calm in the town but it still went head after the police gave it the green light.
A pensioner from Florence, Mafalda Quartu, said: “The atmosphere is tense in Italy at the moment and in recent years we have allowed to the right to flourish. I have always demonstrated but now we need to do so more than ever.”
Far-right parties are expected to make gains in the Italian elections on March 4th.
If the centre-right bloc gets a majority in the elections, either the Forza Italia of the Northern League will choose the country’s next prime minister depending on which of the two parties get more votes.
Additional reporting by Maria Ortega