(ABC NEWS) -- At least 76 police officers were injured when violent protesters clashed with police on Thursday in the streets of Hamburg, Germany, where this week's G-20 summit is set to take place, police said.

Three of the officers are being treated at the hospital, police said. One of the injured officers suffered an eye wound after a firecracker exploded in their face.

In addition, a police officer and one official were attacked near a fish market in the St. Pauli neighborhood, Hamburg police said in a press release. The two were able to escape in a rescue vehicle and were not injured, according to police.

Emergency personnel and their vehicles were also attacked, and the identities of the assailants are not known, police said.

A portion of the crowd acted in a hostile manner toward officers on the scene, throwing bottles and other objects at them, police said, describing the events as "heavy riots."

Masked men protests vandalized several shops and cars along the streets, and a police helicopter was repeatedly blinded by a laser pointer, police said. Officers have begun moving to make arrests.

Authorities fired water cannons and used pepper spray to disperse the crowds, Hamburg police wrote on Twitter.

Some 8,000 people were in the crowd, and not all of them were violent, police said, adding that about 1,000 people were part of a black bloc anarchist group.

Police have not yet released figures on how many people were arrested and injured during the demonstrations.

On Twitter, police posted photos of large fires and urged bystanders in the area to leave.

More than 100,000 protesters are expected in Hamburg for the summit, which include about 8,000 people considered part of Europe's violent left-wing scene, The Associated Press reported. Some 20,000 police officers have been activated to keep the demonstrations under control amid high tensions. </s> Teargas and water cannon deployed outside Elbphilharmonie concert hall while inside world leaders listen to Ode to Joy

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A day of violent clashes between police and protesters culminated on Friday evening with the bizarre spectacle of the heads of the world’s 20 leading economies listening to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy at the top of a shiny high-rise building while police used water cannon, teargas and speed boats to keep at bay an angry crowd of thousands.

'Welcome to hell': G20 protests in Hamburg – in pictures Read more

Germany’s second-largest city had been eager to showcase its recently opened Elbphilharmonie concert hall to the rest of the world, but it may come to rue its ivory-tower symbolism after a week of chaotic scenes on the edges of the conference hall.

Rising tensions between protesters and police had escalated with clashes in Hamburg’s historic harbour area on Thursday night, and escalated further when masked anti-capitalist protesters torched cars and smashed shop windows in the Altona district on Friday morning.

Masked protesters in black clothes used flares to set fire to at least 20 cars and pelted rocks at the windows of banks and smaller shops as they made their way through Altona and along the Elbchaussee road along the river at about 7.30 am on Friday morning.

Many shops and cafes in the area, including a local Ikea, boarded up their windows in anticipation of further rioting.

Melania Trump, the wife of the US president, Donald Trump, was reportedly stopped from attending an event in the G20’s supporting programme by the protests. “Police have not given us security clearance to leave the guest house,” Trump’s spokesperson told the German press agency dpa.

A planned visit for leaders’ partners to a climate research centre was scrapped and replaced with a presentation by climate scientists at a luxury hotel. “Thinking of those hurt in Hamburg protests. Hope everyone stay safe!” the US president’s wife tweeted later.

Police forces around Germany dispatched reinforcements to help 15,000 police already deployed to the northern port city for the summit as the violence escalated.

Later on Friday afternoon Hamburg authorities spoke of 160 injured police officers and 70 arrested protesters. Organisers of Thursday’s “Welcome to Hell” march said 14 participants had ended up in hospital, three of whom were seriously injured and one claimed to be in a critical condition.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who hosts the summit, condemned the violence. “I have every understanding for peaceful demonstrations, but violent demonstrations put human lives in danger,” she said.

High-tech water cannon were employed in the city throughout the day. Hamburg police at one point issued a statement via Twitter in which they clarified that reports of the employment of nuclear weapons in the city were taken from a satirical news website.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Demonstrators are hit by water cannon during the Welcome to Hell protest in Hamburg. Photograph: David Young/AFP/Getty Images

As G20 leaders and delegates gathered at the Elbphilharmonie after Trump’s two-and-a-half hour meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, protesters began to gather near the venue.



Police again deployed water cannon to disperse a crowd of protesters who had broken into a sealed-off riverside metro station.

Around 15 boats with climate activists tried to reach the concert venue via the harbour basin and 22 Greenpeace activists jumped into the water to swim to the bottom of the building, designed by Herzog and de Meuron. All of them were stopped by police.

Sven Jahn, a police spokesman, said that a group of about 60 masked protesters attacked three police vehicles with molotov cocktails, and that a flare fired at a police helicopter only narrowly missed its target.

Police and protesters accuse each other of having escalated the situation in the city, with police saying they had to use force after a hardcore bloc of activists had attacked them with bottles and sticks.

Andreas Beuth, a lawyer and protest co-organiser, accused authorities of deliberate provocation with heavy-handed tactics. “The escalation was clearly started by the police,” said Beuth at a press conference inside the stadium of local football club FC St Pauli on Friday morning.

Christoph Kleine, one of the organisers of Saturday’s G20 Not Welcome march, said police had “risked the loss of human life” by aiming water cannon at people standing on bridges and rooftops.

A number of journalists working for leftwing German newspapers reported on Friday that their press accreditation had been withdrawn without explanation.

Björn Kietzmann (@bjokie) WTF. The German police just seized my official #G20 press accreditation.

The owner of a burnt-out Saab on the Elbchaussee said she had just got her children to get ready for school when about 30 masked protesters started throwing bottles and molotov cocktails on the street outside, shortly before 8am.

“The car’s insured, but it has a nostalgic value,” said Ariane Striemeier-Gellsen. “If it had survived another year it would have been vintage.” She said it had taken the fire service 45 minutes to arrive on the scene.

Waltraud Waidelich, a resident of the Schanzenviertel district, said she had deliberately parked her car in the more upmarket Altona district on Thursday night, only to find her vehicle surrounded by burnt-out cars this morning.

She said she felt some of the violent protests were undermining more constructive protests and alternative conferences taking place in Hamburg at the weekend. Waidelich said: “At the alternative summit, I saw a lot of highly competent people looking constructively at ways in which we can transform the economy along more social and ecological lines.”

Some degree of protest and disagreement was normal, she said. “We have to remind politicians visiting our city that they have to work harder,” she said. “But I prefer creative forms of protests, and I am not sure what torching normal people’s cars is meant to achieve. There were a lot of young men on the streets who were mainly out to play cops and robbers with the police. Violence is not my way.” </s> Thousands of anti-capitalist protesters fought with police in Hamburg, Germany, Thursday ahead of the G-20 summit where President Donald Trump and other world leaders will be meeting.

Police in Hamburg were seen using water cannons and tear gas to control the crowd of "Welcome to Hell" demonstrators that mounted to thousands by the evening. Violence broke out at a riverside plaza in the city, where people gathered earlier before starting their march through the city.

Black-hooded protesters attacked a police vehicle with bottles and bricks, breaking its window. Several people were also seen climbing over a wall as others stood in groups, holding up signs.

Police said they repeatedly asked a group of hardcore demonstrators to remove their masks, but with no luck. Dozens of police officers created a blockade to separate the hooded protesters from the demonstration.

THE G-20: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT

More than 100,000 protesters are expected to be in the city during the two-day summit, according to police. Hamburg boosted its police presence with reinforcements from around the country for the G-20 summit. About 20,000 officers are on hand to patrol the northern German city's streets, skies and waterways.

Trump arrived in Hamburg earlier in the day after delivering a speech in Warsaw, Poland, defending Western values and rallying against "dire threats" to civilizations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Trump met privately after his arrival, discussing issues that include North Korea, the situation in the Middle East, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and "some issues on the G-20 agenda." The discussion lasted more than an hour.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also participated, according to a German government statement. </s> Anti-G-20 activists riot for second night in Hamburg </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Swedish police on Tuesday were investigating a riot that broke out overnight in a predominantly immigrant suburb in Stockholm after officers arrested a suspect on drug charges.

The clashes started late Monday when a police car arrested a suspect and people started throwing stones at them in Rinkeby, north of Stockholm. Unidentified people, including some wearing masks, also set cars on fire and looted shops.

One officer was slightly injured when a rock hit his arm and one person was arrested for throwing rocks, police spokesman Lars Bystrom said Tuesday. Some civilians who tried to stop the looters were also assaulted, he added.

In this picture taken on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017,a policeman investigates a burned out car in the suburb of Rinkeby outside Stockholm. Police in Sweden said Tuesday they were investigating riots that broke out overnight in a predominantly immigrant Stockholm suburb after officers arrested a suspect on drug charges. Spokesman Lars Bystrom said unidentified people, including some wearing masks, threw rocks at police, set cars on fire and looted shops in Rinkeby, north of Stockholm. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Another officer fired his gun, not as a warning shot but because he was "in a situation that demanded he used his firearm," Bystrom said, adding "no one was hit."

He declined to give further details, saying the episode would be investigated.

Police were investigating three cases of violent rioting, assaulting a police officer, two assaults, vandalism and aggravated thefts, he said.

"This kind of situation doesn't happen that often but it is always regrettable when it happens," Bystrom said.

In this picture taken on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, firefighters survey the scene in the suburb of Rinkeby outside Stockholm. Police in Sweden said Tuesday they were investigating riots that broke out overnight in a predominantly immigrant Stockholm suburb after officers arrested a suspect on drug charges. Spokesman Lars Bystrom said unidentified people, including some wearing masks, threw rocks at police, set cars on fire and looted shops in Rinkeby, north of Stockholm. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP) </s> COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Swedish police on Tuesday were investigating a riot that broke out overnight in a predominantly immigrant suburb in Stockholm after officers arrested a suspect on drug charges.The clashes started late Monday when a police car arrested a suspect and people started throwing stones at them in Rinkeby, north of Stockholm. Unidentified people, including some wearing masks, also set cars on fire and looted shops.One officer was slightly injured when a rock hit his arm and one person was arrested for throwing rocks, police spokesman Lars Bystrom said Tuesday.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Lucianne.com. </s> Protesters have injured a police officer while trying to block the hotel in Cologne where the nationalist Alternative for Germany party is holding a two-day convention.

Hundreds of demonstrators are trying to keep AfD party members from entering their convention centre - leading to a a massive police presence.

Around 50,000 left-wing protesters are expected and about 4,000 police officers are on the ground in Cologne to prevent a violent escalation of anti-populist rallies.

The convention takes place days after AfD's co-leader Frauke Petry, who is Germany's best-known nationalist politician, said that she won't be her party's top candidate in the September general election.

The decision appears to reflect a growing split among its leading figures. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - Rioters set fire to a bank and ransacked stores on Paris’s Champs Elysees avenue on Saturday, in a new flare-up of violence as France’s yellow vest protests against President Emmanuel Macron and his pro-business reforms entered a fourth month.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon as the protests turned violent after weeks of relative calm, during which marches had attracted declining numbers of participants.

A Banque Tarneaud branch spewed flames before firefighters arrived and rescued a woman and her infant from the building, with 11 suffering minor injuries, the fire department said.

Rioters also set fire to an upmarket handbag store and two newsstands on the Champs Elysees, while scattered bonfires burned on the thoroughfare.

Protesters hurled cobblestones at riot police through clouds of tear gas in front of the Arc de Triomphe monument, which was ransacked at the peak of the protests in December.

Police arrested nearly 240 protesters as rioters looted stores around the Champs Elysees and wrecked the high-end Fouquet’s restaurant.

The canvas awning was later set on fire of the swanky brasserie, known in France as the place where conservative Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his presidential election victory in 2007.

Macron cut short a weekend ski trip in the Pyrenees to return to the capital on Saturday night for a crisis meeting with ministers.

“We are attached to constitutional rights, but we’ve got people who through all means quite simply want to make a wreck of the republic, to break things and destroy, running the risk of getting people killed,” Macron said.

“I want us to very precisely analyse things and as quickly as possible take strong, complementary decisions so this doesn’t happen again,” he told ministers.

A protester throws an EU flag into the fire of a burning shop during a demonstration by the "yellow vests" movement in Paris, France, March 16, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Police said 42 protesters, 17 of their own officers and one firefighter were injured.

The interior ministry estimated 10,000 people had participated in the protest in Paris, compared with 3,000 on the previous Saturday. Nationwide, protesters were estimated at 32,300, compared with 28,600 last week.

ULTRA VIOLENT

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that although the protest was relatively small, there had been more than 1,500 “ultra violent” people out looking for trouble.

“They decided, perhaps as a swansong, to come attack - and I use their words - Paris,” Castaner said, adding that more than 1,400 police officers were mobilised.

A separate, peaceful march against climate change through central Paris drew as many 36,000 people, police estimated. Some 145,000 people marched nationwide.

Yellow vest protesters had promised to draw bigger numbers to mark the fourth month since the movement erupted in mid November over since-scrapped fuel tax hikes and the cost of living.

Named after the high-visibility vests French drivers have to keep in their cars and worn by protesters, the revolt swelled into a broader movement against Macron, his reforms and elitism.

However, the weekly demonstrations, held every Saturday in Paris and other cities, have been generally getting smaller since December, when Paris saw some of the worst vandalism and looting in decades.

After the spike in violence, Macron offered a package of concessions worth more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion) aimed at boosting the incomes of the poorest workers and pensioners.

Slideshow (35 Images)

His government ordered police to crack down on the protests in January, leading to complaints of police brutality.

The 41-year-old former investment banker also launched a series of national debates aimed at determining what policies people want the government to focus on. Saturday’s protests coincided with the end of the debates. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of masked and hooded anarchists smashed shop windows, torched cars and hurled cobblestones at riot police on Tuesday, hijacking a May Day rally by labour unions against President Emmanuel Macron’s economic reforms.

Riot police used teargas and water cannon to disperse the protesters. Paris police chief Michel Delpuech said more than 200 demonstrators had been arrested and four people were lightly injured in the clashes, including a police officer.

“I condemn with absolute firmness the violence that took place today and derailed the May Day processions,” tweeted Macron, who was on a visit to Australia.

“Everything will be done so that the perpetrators are identified and held responsible for their actions.”

Authorities said around 1,200 protesters, many garbed in black, had turned up on the sidelines of the annual May Day demonstration. The protesters were from far-left anarchist groups known as Black Blocs, police said.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux criticised the protesters for covering their faces. “When you have sincere convictions, you demonstrate with your face unmasked,” he said. “Those who wear hoods are the enemies of democracy.”

Chanting anti-fascist slogans and waving Soviet flags and anti-government banners, the protesters smashed windows of businesses, including a Renault garage and McDonalds restaurant near the Austerlitz train station in eastern Paris.

Tear gas floats around masked protesters during clashes with French CRS riot police at the May Day labour union rally in Paris, France, May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

They also ransacked shops and scrawled anti-capitalist graffiti on walls before eventually being dispersed by police.

AVOIDING CASUALTIES

David Le Bars, a police union official, told BFM TV that security services had decided to let the protesters smash things rather than engage them to avoid casualties on either side that could exacerbate tensions.

“They came to hit capitalist symbols and burn cops. When you come with Molotov cocktails, it’s to burn cops,” he said, citing clashes on May 1 last year in which one police officer was seriously burnt.

Unions put the number of peaceful protesters at Tuesday’s main May Day rally in Paris at about 55,000, though police put it at around 20,000. The numbers were relatively small compared to other recent demonstrations.

Police said the Black Blocs had mixed into a smaller demonstration of around 14,500 people which took place alongside the official union rally.

Tuesday’s clashes come amid mounting union discontent with Macron’s plans to reboot France’s economy and spur jobs growth by loosening labour regulations.

Slideshow (16 Images)

Under a union campaign to foil Macron’s reforms, railway staff have begun three months of nationwide rolling strikes aimed at halting a planned overhaul of state-run railway SNCF.

Speaking in Australia earlier on Tuesday Macron, a former investment banker who swept to power a year ago, reiterated that he would not back down on his reform agenda.

Opposition conservative and far-right politicians accused Macron’s government of being insufficiently prepared for the violent protests and criticised it for not cracking down more heavily on anarchists.
Rioting and looting takes place in Altona, Hamburg, particularly in the Elbchaussee area, as police clash with anti-capitalist protestors in the city for a second day. At least 160 police officers are injured and 70 protesters arrested.