May Day marches turn violent in Europe

Police in Germany's capital Berlin arrested nearly 300 at the city's May Day march, with riot police battling hundreds of protesters deep into the night. According to authorities, militants attacked police with rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Riot police responded with tear gas and pepper spray. 237 officers were reported injured. There were also riots reported in Germany's second city Hamburg. (Radio Netherlands, May 2)

In the western German city of Dortmund, police arrested about 150 far-right protesters who attempted to attack a labor rally. In the southern city of Ulm, left-wing protesters threw bottles and stones at a neo-Nazi march and clashed with police. About 30 riot police and 20 protesters were reported injured.

In Turkey, police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse masked protesters. Dozens of police and protesters were hurt and more than 100 protesters arrested in Istanbul and Ankara. In France, nearly 1.2 million participated in more than 280 marches across the country, demanding the government take stronger actions to address the economic crisis. In Switzerland, more than 80 people were arrested in Zurich after protesters attacked police with stones, bottles and firebombs, authorities said. In Greece, police fired tear gas in a clash with 300 people in Athens. In Russia, about 2,000 demonstrators gathered near a statue of Karl Marx in Moscow, accusing the government of betraying the workers. (Xinhua, May 2)

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