German police, protesters clash at G20

Radical anti-G20 protests have continued in Hamburg with 111 German police officers injured and 29 arrests, authorities say.

A woman is sprayed after she climbed into a police vehicle in Hamburg

Anti-capitalists protesters have set fire to cars and injured police officers during the G20 summit. (AAP)

Anti-capitalist protesters have set fire to cars, barricades, rubbish bins and wooden pallets as leaders from the world's top economies convened for a summit in the northern German city of Hamburg.

Police said violence that erupted during marches on Thursday continued into Friday, with protesters slashing the tyres of a car belonging to the Canadian delegation to the G20 summit and smashing windows of the consulate of Mongolia.

At least 29 protesters were detained and 111 police officers had been injured as of Friday morning, including three officers who required treatment in hospital.

A police spokesman said only small numbers of far left or anarchist protesters were involved in violence, with the majority of an estimated 100,000 demonstrators in the city remaining peaceful. About 12,000 took part in the main march.

But while 15,000 police were on hand from each of Germany's 16 states, authorities said they asked for reinforcements late on Thursday after realising the situation on the streets of Hamburg was proving more difficult than expected.

"We have asked nationwide if police forces are available and those requests are being reviewed," a police spokesman said.

On Friday, smaller groups of protesters attacked both manned and empty police cars, one of which was hit by a petrol bomb, police said.

One of the many police helicopters patrolling the skies was nearly struck by a rocket flare, police said in a statement. On Thursday the pilots of another helicopter sustained eye injuries after a laser was directed against them.

Police said they continued to dispel street blockades throughout the port city.

In addition, some individuals allegedly carried out sabotage actions against train tracks and attempted to block the access to the convention centre where the G20 summit is being held, AP reported.

Hamburg police said that objects had been detected on the tracks at a train station, which affected the transit of some railways


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world