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Hungarian protesters clash with police, 21 detained

Hundreds of anti-government protesters clashed with police in the Hungarian capital on Saturday as they sought to disrupt commemorations of the failed 1848 war of independence against the ruling Habsburgs.

Members of the Hungarian Self-Defense Movement and other right-wing radical groups were trying to reach the Palace of Arts, near the Danube River on the city's south side, where Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany was taking part in a commemoration event.

Several of Hungary's national holidays over the past 18 months have been marred by protests organized mostly by small, radical groups against the unpopular Gyurcsany, who misled the public about the state of the economy.

Marching along one of Budapest's main ring roads, the protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police, who fired tear gas grenades to try to control the crowd. Police were able to disperse most of the crowd several blocks before they reached the Palace of Arts, but smaller groups of rioters continued to prowl the area.

Hungarian media said protesters also attacked a journalist covering the violence and that the clothes of two protesters caught fire after being hit with a Molotov cocktail thrown at police.

At least 21 people were detained, three police were lightly injured and a number of police vehicles were hit by the fire bombs, Hir TV reported.

Earlier, dozens of right-wing radicals pelted Budapest authorities and police with rocks, eggs and vegetables during one of the memorial events, despite tight security.

Police set up metal barriers around parliament and several other areas where official events were held and people were allowed near only after individual security checks. Traffic was diverted from the events and several of the bridges that span the Danube River connecting Buda and Pest were closed to private vehicles.

"The government has to go. They are ruining Hungary," said Peter Rabai, a 53-year-old salesman attending one of the rallies.

Calls for Gyurcsany's resignation have intensified since the stunning success of a referendum on March 9 that repealed three of his economic reform measures.

More than 80 percent of the voters participating said they were against fees for doctor's visits, hospital stays and university tuition. Turnout was slightly more than 50 percent, an unprecedented figure for a referendum in Hungary.
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