Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday to separate violent demonstrators from a protest against a meeting of top WTO officials, but the hooded “black bloc” activists were able to cause damage before 14 were arrested.
The protesters set fire to at least four cars, broke shop windows and committed other acts of violence on Saturday, police spokesman Patrick Puhl said.
Police Chief Monica Bonfati said officers arrested four looters in addition to the protesters. No injuries to police or protesters were reported, police said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The clashes occurred during a march by demonstrators protesting a meeting of the WTO scheduled to start today, in which the US, China and other powers will spearhead a new attempt to find ways to revive world trade and drag the global economy out of recession.
Bonfati told Swiss television station TSR that police were able at the beginning of the demonstration to identify about 200 members of the black bloc — violent elements that join other demonstrations to cause damage. She said they were spread out along the route and police had to separate them from the other protesters.
Eric Grandjean, another police spokesman, said black bloc protesters threw firebombs at police from the march.
Police said the 3,000 protesters included three distinct groups of troublemakers who broke away to attack cars and hotel and shop windows, then rejoined the march, pretending to be peaceful.
Organizers said there were about 5,000 protesters in total.
The group Anti-WTO Coordination said it “regretted being unable to finish the demonstration and deliver the planned speeches.” It said a few protesters had used the demonstration for their own ends.
Swiss officials refused entry at Geneva Airport on Friday evening to three South Koreans because Swiss security specialists judged them to be capable of violence, Puhl said, noting that other countries had previously barred the three for the same reason.
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