German police hurt in May Day riots

AT LEAST 250 German riot police and an unknown number of civilians were injured in May Day holiday street battles with anarchists, police said yesterday.

Despite flying bottles, stones and signal rockets set off by leftists, Berlin state interior minister Ehrhart Koerting said the 10,000-strong police force had contained the violence, with fewer street fires and damaged store windows than in other years.

Witnesses and television footage showed police coming under heavy attack on streets strewn with broken bottles in fighting that has plagued Berlin for the past 16 years. Police fought the masked anarchists with water cannon and tear gas.

Injuries to police were slight, although up in number on 2003, authorities said. Police arrested 348 people. Cars were overturned and several businesses had windows smashed.