AFP - Hundreds of Italian judges Saturday walked out of nationwide ceremonies held to mark the start of the judicial year in protest at "destructive legislation" introduced by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

"At least 50 judges and prosecutors walked out of the court in Rome when the government representative began his speech," news channel Sky-TG24 reported.

Similar protests took place in Palermo, Milan and Naples, the report said, adding that the magistrates returned after the respective speeches were over.

ANM, the association of Italian magistrates, announced the protests on Wednesday, saying, "We are forced to listen every day to invectives and threats" from Berlusconi.

"Magistrates are not in a conflict and are not opposed to anyone," it said.

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon who has stood trial several times for corruption and fraud but has never been definitively convicted, has accused magistrates of leftist bias and of seeking to depose him through the courts.

The Italian parliament dominated by Berlusconi supporters is currently examining a draft law that would curb the length of legal cases. The opposition says the law would effectively shut down two ongoing trials against Berlusconi.

In a clear reference to the right-wing leader, ANM Wednesday called for an end to "destructive reforms of the judiciary with laws that have no good sense or coherence and are conceived only for the sake of particular legal cases."

These reforms "bring the legal system of this country to its knees," it said.

"Our gesture intends to express the strong disagreement of the magistracy," ANM president Luca Palamara said Saturday.