German police arrest 65 in May Day clashes

BERLIN - German police arrested 65 people in clashes with revellers celebrating May Day in Berlin on Sunday, but the authorities said disturbances had been mild compared with last year.

Police said three officers were lightly injured, compared with more than 50 in the early hours of May 1, 2004 - as several dozen people, some masked, pelted them with bottles and stones after a concert in the east of the city.

"Given the amount of damage and the number of police injured, it's clear that there was less trouble than on this night last year - so that the situation could almost be described as peaceful," said a Berlin police spokesman.

Police said their low-key tactics were paying off, noting that only one squad car and a tram stop were damaged.

Television pictures showed scores of police in riot gear grappling with revellers while trying to clear a road after around 1,200 people turned up for the rock concert in the eastern Berlin district of Friedrichshain.

Violence has erupted in Berlin for years on May Day and police were braced for further unrest in the traditionally left-wing district of Kreuzberg.

Around 10,000 police from around the country were deployed in the city a year ago to control the May Day crowds, and more than 250 officers were injured and several cars overturned. Police said there would be "significantly fewer" law enforcers on the streets this year.

- REUTERS