German riot police crack down hard on anti-Nazi protests

Berlin, Feb 20, IRNA -- Riot police in the east German city of Dresden clamped down hard on anti-Nazi protesters who were trying to block a planned neo-Nazi march, news reports said Saturday.

According to eyewitnesses, police deployed water-cannons and tear gas
to disperse the protesters who led fierce street clashes with baton-wielding security forces.

There have been reportedly numerous arrests, however there was no immediate information on the number of those injured.

More than 10,000 people, among them also German political leaders, took to the streets of Dresden to protest against the neo-Nazi march.

Thousands of hardcore neo-Nazis from across Europe were expected to take part in the march, marking the 66th anniversary of Allied air raids that virtually flattened the city in the final days of World War II.

German neo-Nazis argue the relentless bombing campaign of late February 13 and early February 14, 1945 constituted a war crime as up to 25,000 people died in the bombing.

Neo-Nazis have been been staging controversial rallies in Dresden to highlight the occasion since the 1990s./end