German anti-war protest turns violent

German police turned water cannons on school students outside the US consulate today during their first clashes with demonstrators protesting against the war in Iraq.

Violence erupted when some protesters broke off from a peaceful march of about 20,000 pupils in Hamburg and headed to the US consulate, where police said Palestinians armed with wooden sticks joined them and began attacking police securing the building.

There was no immediate information on injuries or arrests.

Police turned water cannons on the demonstrators to disperse them, Schoepflin said.

Eyewitnesses said that protesters threw bottles at police, who responded with billy clubs before calling in the water cannons.

School students have been among the most active anti-war protesters in Germany, often skipping class to take to the streets.

Germans have staged protests against the Iraq nearly every day since the conflict began.