Riot police fired rubber bullets and used long batons, plastic shields, concussion grenades and stun guns in clashes with hundreds of demonstrators protesting talks aimed at creating a hemisphere-wide free-trade zone.
It was not immediately known how many people were injured. Some journalists were among the hurt, struck by thrown debris or rubber bullets. Miami police said two officers were injured.
At one hospital, 12 demonstrators and three police officers were treated for injuries, Jackson Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Lorraine Nelson said.
PHOTO: AP
About 140 arrests were made on Thursday on charges such as obstruction, battery, aggravated assault, unlawful assembly, resisting arrest, trespassing and burglary, bringing the arrest total for the week to about 150, said Stephen Thompson, a Miami-Dade Corrections Officer at the FTAA Miami Unified Command Center.
Alonzo Mendez was bleeding from an abrasion he said was caused when a rubber bullet hit him in the chest.
"I was just taking pictures and they fired at me," he said.
Thursday's clashes occurred before and after a peaceful march organized by the US labor unions, which are also opposed to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 marchers took part, saying the 34-nation FTAA would take thousands of US jobs to other countries, reduce workers' rights by exploiting cheap labor and drain natural resources.
Soon after the march, several dozen protesters resumed battling with police, pushing up against police lines and throwing water bottles, colored flares and rocks at officers. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the demonstrators after the protesters set small trash fires in the street and used slingshots to fire projectiles at officers.
The afternoon battle appeared more violent and chaotic than the morning clashes, when at least 1,000 protesters -- many wearing bandannas across the bottom half of their faces, surgical masks and blue baseball helmets -- battled with officers who used their batons to push the demonstrators back.
Despite the clashes, most of the protesters were peaceful, carrying puppets, holding signs and chanting, "This is what a police state looks like."
Beating on an African drum, Joshua Xander, 21, of Cincinnati, said the police are "totally doing what they feel necessary. We are doing what we think is necessary -- conflict of interests."
Police set up a perimeter around the protesters, marching toward them in waves and firing rubber bullets to force them back.
"As the level of confrontation escalated, so did the level of presence by our police officers," police spokesman Jorge Pino said. "We are employing different kinds of techniques ... and are willing and able to take whatever action is necessary to keep the city and our community safe."
The morning clashes delayed the start of the AFL-CIO's march, and its leaders complained that police were preventing buses carrying marchers, some of them elderly, from reaching the staging area.
"Everybody is just letting their feelings known in a peaceful way," said William Vargas, one of 800 union parade marshals who helped keep the peace.
The unions' protest included huge puppets of dolphins and sunflowers, people walking on stilts and many chanting slogans such as "Just Say No Way to George Bush's FTAA."
Bob Wessell, a 49-year-old steel worker from Indiana, said his job making hospital beds may be lost because of cheaper manufacturing in China.
"I am here to save American jobs and make the world a safer place to live," Wessell said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
RSS