Anti-EU protests turn violent

Swedish authorities were braced for more trouble at a European Union summit today after more than 70 people were injured in two days of rampages between anti-EU protesters and police.

Thousands converging on a square in Gothenburg were told to march to a park on the other side of the city instead of the Goeta square near the summit site as police tried to prevent more clashes.

Groups of riot police collected on street corners carefully watching passers-by.

‘‘We’re doing this because we don’t want to take any chances. Our main aim is to protect the summit at all costs,’’ said detective Erik Nord.

‘‘Most of the demonstrators are peaceful people and it’s the hooligans who are the problem.’’

Two days of rampages have left more than 70 protesters and police hospitalised, including three people who were shot, one seriously on Friday in a street battle near Goteborg University, city health official Dr Bengt-Aake Henriksson said today.

An estimated 25,000 activists have converged on Gothenburg to protest causes like globalisation and European integration in rallies that have been largely peaceful.

But rioters have smashed store windows and cars, torn down traffic signs and set bonfires in street battles that Swedish Justice Minister Thomas Bodstroem denounced as ‘‘an attack against democracy’’.

The protests were staged by hundreds of young people gathered here from throughout Europe ‘‘for one reason: to fight, to destroy and to riot,’’ he said.

Up to 600 people had been briefly detained and 62 were still in custody and would likely face charges of violent rioting, spokesman Peter Backenfall said.

A series of clashes began Thursday during a visit by US President George W. Bush, who left on Friday for Poland. Bush was in Slovenia Saturday for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The violence caught authorities in the city by surprise forcing them to call for reinforcements.

Friday’s trouble started in the morning when activists angry at being blocked from approaching the summit site battled with police, who forced them back past Goeta square.

The melee escalated as black-clad protesters wearing hoods began smashing store windows and cars.

The mayhem did not interrupt talks among the EU leaders and foreign ministers, but a dinner scheduled for the trendy restaurant Traedgaar’n was moved to the heavily fortified conference centre.

Several country delegations also were relocated from their hotels for security reasons.

Several protesters blamed police for provoking the street battles.

‘‘We don’t understand a democracy that uses an army against us,’’ said 20-year-old Tom Eriksen.

EU opponents say the 15-nation organisation threatens national sovereignty and social welfare of member nations.

Street turmoil has become a familiar backdrop to international gatherings since the 1999 World Trade Organisation meeting in the United States.

An EU summit in France was marred when 4,000 demonstrators battled riot police, leaving 20 injured. In April, protesters battled riot police during the Summit of the Americas in Canada.