Dozens of police were injured in clashes with protesters before a G20 summit in Hamburg on Thursday, tarnishing the start of a meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes will cement her role as a stateswoman as she seeks re-election in September.
Merkel, who is campaigning for a fourth term, can ill afford the images of chaos and disharmony that dominated news coverage of the summit. The summit, which starts in earnest on Friday, is a chance for her to polish her diplomatic credentials but would be disastrous if marred by widespread violence.
She met US President Donald Trump for an hour on Thursday evening, but less than an hour later police clashed with anti-capitalist demonstrators near the summit venue, firing water cannons and pepper spray at hundreds of black-clad protesters after they threw bottles.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) receives US President Donald Trump in Hamburg, Germany on the eve of the G20 summit, July 6, 2017. /VCG Photo
At least 76 police officers were injured throughout the evening, German authorities said, as a demonstration dubbed "Welcome to Hell" erupted in violence shortly after it began.
"Police are still being attacked," said a spokesman for Hamburg's police force, adding that most of the officers hurt sustained light injuries.
The pilots of a police helicopter sustained eye injuries when laser pointers were directed at them, police said.
Protesters damaged cars, set other objects ablaze and threw bottles in roving clashes that lasted until midnight.
A police investigator walks past Porsche cars that were among 10 set alight by an arsonist at a Porsche dealership in Hamburg, Germany, July 6, 2017. /VCG Photo
Activists arrive at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof central railway station to protest against the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 6, 2017. /VCG Photo
A Reuters eyewitness saw at least one protester with blood on his face being treated.
Merkel has taken a high-risk gamble by choosing to hold the summit in the northern port city of Hamburg, partly to show the world that big protests are tolerated in a healthy democracy.
Before meeting Trump, she struck a consensual tone, holding out hope for agreement on the divisive issue of climate policy and pledging to broker compromises.
She promised to represent German and European interests at the summit, but added: "On the other hand, as hosts we – and I – will do all we can to find compromises."
Protesters confront German police in Hamburg, Germany, July 5, 2017. /VCG Photo
Trump faces a testy confrontation at the summit with leaders of the other big Group of 20 economies after deciding last month to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate deal.
(Source: Reuters, AFP)
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