WEB DESK /
Seventy-six 76 police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters in Germany’s city of Hamburg, where a G20 summit starts shortly.
Thursday’s big demonstration against the summit, titled “Welcome To Hell,” was the first serious test for the police
Police said, three officers were taken to hospital. There were also reports of injuries among protesters.
The clashes began when police charged at masked protesters at a “Welcome to hell” march attended by 12,000 people. World leaders – including US President Donald Trump – will discuss climate change, trade and other major issues.
Police fired water cannon and pepper spray at masked protesters, who hurled bottles, stones and flares. Organisers cancelled the march where the first clashes took place, but protesters remained on the streets and police said violence spread to other areas of the city.
Medics were seen treating several people.
The “Welcome to Hell” protest was over shortly after it began, following a day of suspense in Hamburg. Many people had stayed at home or left the city. But, as Jenny Witt reports, almost everyone had expected trouble.
With just 24 hours to go until the start of the G20 summit, the usual traffic noise died down. An eerie silence ruled in the city center, only punctuated by the sound of passing police helicopters. It was a silence most people knew would end by the time the evening came.
Thursday’s big demonstration against the summit, titled “Welcome To Hell,” was the first serious test for the police. Flyers from the organizers instructed people to “be noisy, angry and combative.” The police knew that this would be the first proper gathering of the “Black Block” – the extreme anarchist end of the anti-capitalist movement.