Police fired tear gas to protesters?in Strasbourg?on Thursday, one day before a NATO summit opens on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the military alliance.
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A pedestrian walks past a burning trash left by the demonstraters in Neuhoof, ten kilometers to Strasbourg, France, April 2, 2009. Police clashed with hundreds of protesters during an anti-NATO demonstration on the eve of NATO's summit, to be held in Strasbourg and the neighbouring German city of Kehl on April 3-4. [Xinhua] |
Protestors with masks broke several bus shelters, set fire to dustbins and set up a street barricade in Neuhoff, a south suburb of Strasbourg, after marching from a "peace camp" set up by activists on the outskirts of the city.
The crowd, around 600-900, was dispersed and calm returned in the neighborhood of Neuhoff after the tear gas, according to French police.
A protest group called "Anti-Repression" said on its website that police made many arrests.
Thousands of protesters converged to Strasbourg and nearby German towns to protest against the NATO summit.
Police put the figure of protesters on both sides of the Rhine River at 25,000 to 40,000.
Coming from across Europe, the protesters will participate in several demonstrations, including anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-globalization, to name a few.
Police from both countries expect 2,000 to 3,000 people in black clothes to tend to be violent.
The demonstrators are allowed to stay in Strasbourg's Old Town "orange zone" under tight security. A camp was set up to shelter them.
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Local residents check the trash left after an anti-NATO demonstration in Neuhoof, ten kilometers to Strasbourg, France, April 2, 2009. Police clashed with hundreds of protesters during an anti-NATO demonstration on the eve of NATO's summit, to be held in Strasbourg and the neighbouring German city of Kehl on April 3-4. [Xinhua] |
To safeguard the summit, around 15,000 German police, including31 riot squads, and 9,000 French police have been deployed in the cities hosting the summit.
France has temporarily resumed border controls with neighboring countries during the summit.
The demonstrators will lodge a protest on Thursday evening in Baden-Baden and and hold a main protest on in Kehl, both are German towns, before marching across the Rhine river into Strasbourg.
Hosted for the first time by two nations, the summit will open on Friday to discuss Afghanistan, NATO-Russian relations, among other things.
Leaders of Albania and Croatia will participate in the meeting as full members of the Alliance as they fulfilled accession procedures on April 1.
Participants will begin with a working dinner in the premises of the Baden-Baden Kurhaus.
Following an official welcome by the leaders of the host nations and the Secretary General of NATO, the participants will have an exchange of views on NATO's future roles and missions.
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Local residents check the trash left after an anti-NATO demonstration in Neuhoof, ten kilometers to Strasbourg, France, April 2, 2009. Police clashed with hundreds of protesters during an anti-NATO demonstration on the eve of NATO's summit, to be held in Strasbourg and the neighbouring German city of Kehl on April 3-4. [Xinhua] |
During the evening session, Allies are also planning to discuss long-term relations with Russia.
The second day of the summit will begin with a ceremony at the Rhine River, honoring NATO peacekeepers.
Their working session will be held in Strasbourg, focusing on discussion of the ongoing operational commitments of NATO, in particular its engagement in Afghanistan.
(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2009)
