Thousands of extra police officers have been moved into Berlin to deal with expected clashes between right-wing extremists and their left-wing opponents at May Day demonstrations today. Berlin's interior ministry warned yesterday that demonstrators were determined to devastate the city centre, including hundreds of lavish new offices and shops that have been built since German unification.
The police say violence became almost inevitable when a court rejected their request to ban a march by the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) through the eastern district of Hellersdorf. The court banned a counter-demonstration by the left-wing Anti-Fascist Action Berlin but police expect anti-Nazi groups to ignore the ban.
May Day riots have become something of a tradition in Kreuzberg, an inner-city district of Berlin with a large Turkish population that became the home to anarchists known as "autonomous groups" in the 1980s.
"In recent years there has always been violence and people are always injured. I can't say why this happens but people react aggressively," said police spokesman Mr Hans Zeretzke.
More than 6,500 police officers will be on duty in the city today, 700 of whom are detailed to protect the headquarters of the opposition Christian Democrats and the home of the former chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl.
Police expect the tourist attractions around the Unter den Linden to be targeted for attack, along with government buildings such as Mr Gerhard Schroder's temporary chancellery. Most shops will be closed because today is a public holiday but many businesses in Kreuzberg have boarded up their windows in anticipation of a violent night.
Berliners are generally relaxed about the May Day riots and some travel to Kreuzberg just to witness the spectacle of demonstrators clashing with police, smashing windows and looting shops.
But today's violence is expected to be on a different scale than usual, not least because the NPD - a well-organised group with thousands of young skinhead supporters - has called on its members to converge on Berlin. The party is among a number of extremist groups that have found support in eastern Germany for their right-wing, anti-foreigner message.
The people of Hellersdorf, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of the ex-communist Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), want nothing to do with the rightwing thugs who will take over their streets today. They are staging a cultural festival as an alternative to the march and Mr Schroder issued a statement offering them his support.
"With your May Day cultural festival you convey a clear rejection of racism, violence, contempt of fellow man, xenophobia, bigotry, nationalism and discrimination," he said.
