Berlin police expressed disappointment that their attempts to prevent May Day violence, which has plagued the German capital every year for 15 years, had once again failed
Published:
2 May 2003 y., Friday
Anarchists tipped over a number of cars and set them ablaze on Thursday night and threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at police and journalists.
But police spokesman Karsten Graefe said a small number of assailants were to blame for the violence.
"It's depressing when a small number of violent assailants ruins celebrations for everyone else," said Graefe, the chief Berlin spokesman.
After years of fighting open street battles with protesters on May Day, police switched tactics last year to a more passive approach in hopes of lowering tensions and preventing violence.
Police said "a good number of people" were detained and several injured people were seen being carried away from street battles between the left-wing anarchists and helmet-clad riot police.
Berlin police tried to prevent any escalation and initially made no moves against demonstrations that turned violent in the Kreuzberg district.
Some 2,500 riot police in the quarter stood by at first as a few stones and bottles were thrown. But authorities later fired tear gas and water cannons when the number of flung bottles and stones increased and the attackers began toppling cars and setting them on fire.
Šaltinis:
abc.net.au
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
EU animal welfare rules must be more rigorously enforced, with more inspections and effective penalties, said the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.
more »
Fifty-three year old Rasima collects dirt everyday from a paddy field in Indonesia’s east Java province, turning it into a snack made entirely from soil, called "ampo."
more »
At the moment an Argentinian working for a French company in Spain can't travel to France for a meeting on his long-term visa.
more »
An EU-wide strategy is needed to combat violence against women, which must be recognised as a crime, said participants in a European Parliament public hearing with national parliaments and civil society representatives, held on Tuesday to mark International Women's Day.
more »
You know its Tet in Vietnam when Peach and Kumquat orange trees decorate every home, shop and public establishment.
more »
A surveyor has set up his tripod and instruments under a hot tropical sun to measure plots of land in a village where the Dac Kray minority community were settled four years ago.
more »
Japanese men are answering the call of Valentine s Day a month late.
more »
In three urgent resolutions adopted on Thursday, Parliament urges Hamas to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, deplores the escalating criminal violence in Mexico and calls on South Korea to scrap the death penalty.
more »
The plight of Europe's 10 million Roma population will fall under the spotlight Tuesday afternoon when MEPs discuss an upcoming Roman summit.
more »
EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers have today adopted a Directive to prevent injuries and infections to healthcare workers from sharp objects such as needle sticks – one of the most serious health and safety threats in European workplaces and estimated to cause 1 million injuries each year.
more »