Fifty-eight police officers were injured in clashes with May Day demonstrators early today in Berlin and 111 people were detained after violence erupted in a city park, Berlin police said.
A police spokeswoman said that 55 of the 58 injured officers were treated for minor injuries and three others went for further medical care. She said they were injured by stones and bottles thrown by left-wing anarchists.
Police are bracing for further clashes later Saturday, as Berlin has faced May Day violence every year for the last 16 years. Last year a number of luxury cars were tipped over and set on fire, while anarchists threw stones and bottles at police.
In an attempt to prevent or limit the violence in the German capital, some 4,500 riot police from outside Berlin have joined forces with another 4,000 Berlin police officers this year.
Police said the disturbances early Saturday, at a giant May Day celebration in the eastern district of Prenzlauer Berg, were nevertheless less violent than last year. They said a ban on bottles and cans as well as improved park lighting had helped.
"The criminal acts were almost exclusively in the park region," said another police spokesman. "There were some bottles and stones thrown."
Police said 81 people were detained for acts of violence while another 30 were taken into custody as a precaution against further violence.