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Police quell protests in Strasbourg streets
Shops remain closed, city squares eerily quiet as people stay away.
- By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:01 April 3, 2009
Strasbourg: "Do inform everyone about what is going on here," shouted the young woman, addressing the group of Arab journalists assembled in the hall of the small hotel.
As one of the 40,000 activists who thronged the French city of Strasbourg to protest against the Nato summit, she wanted to grab some media attention.
"We are here for the anti-Nato summit," she added in a French accent, but declined to give more details.
On Thursday, masked protesters clashed with the police in the afternoon and again in the evening, turning some areas in the particularly placid city into a battle ground.
According to witnesses, around 300 rioters smashed structures at bus stops, shop windows and burned rubbish bins, forcing the police to fire tear gas to disperse them. About 300 protesters were arrested.
The police and the gendarmerie have been bracing for the violent protests as thousands have vowed to disrupt the 60th anniversary of the world's largest military alliance.
Groups of young men and women walked through the Place Keber carrying peace flags. Some of them hurled insults at a woman carrying a Nato bag.
"I am sure that these people are not from France, or at least from this area, because we have very tolerant residents who would welcome everyone, regardless of their ideas and views," said Kutz, a local taxi driver.
"We are home to the Eur-opean Parliament and we have often received the world's top leaders who gave speeches or visited the area. We never had such problems and we did not have to deal with a massive number of violent leftists," he said as he was making his way through the labyrinth of blockades set up by the police to control the city's vital areas.
Most shops yesterday remained closed and the thousands of university and school students were given the day off.
Public transportation was halted and the international airport was for the exclusive use of the heads of states members of the alliance.
The city squares, usually bubbling with vitality and dozens of young couples, were eerily quiet.
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