German Parliament to Investigate Bloody May Day Riots

Published May 5th, 2001 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Germany's parliament will start an inquiry into the bloody May Day riots, the worst in more than 10 years, leading to the arrest of hundreds of people and causing millions of marks in material damage, reported the official Iranian news agency, quoting the daily Tagesspiegel.  

"We want to see what happened," said Dieter Wuerfelspitz, member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Bundestag.  

The MP added that the domestic policy commission of the Bundestag would specifically look into the police's response to the riots and also evaluate the videotapes of the clashes between the protesters and security forces. 

Many Berlin residents complained that heavy police presence, a record 9,000 officers were called in, may have actually provoked the militant leftists and anarchists to riot in a show of force, said IRNA, quoting the paper.  

More than 600 people were arrested and some 160 policemen were injured in clashes in two days of riots. 

Police used batons, tear gas, water cannons and armored vehicles in their confrontation with rioters who threw stones and bottles, and set several cars on fire in the working class district of Kreuzberg.  

City officials, fearing clashes between left-wing militants and  

neo-Nazis, banned a hardline leftist May Day rally but permitted a far-right demo to go ahead in the outskirts of Berlin, added the agency.  

May Day violence has literally become a ritual over the past 14 years, the worst one also taking place in the Kreuzberg district in1987, leading to several days of bloody riots – Albawaba.com 

 

© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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