Geneva, June 02: A largely peaceful demonstration against the Group of Eight summit in Evian deteriorated into pitched battles between riot police and protestors intent on an orgy of destruction and looting that continued into early today. For more than nine hours, police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons against several thousand militants who rampaged through the Swiss city of Geneva, turning its elegant streets into a sea of glass and leaving the air heavy with acrid fumes. Swiss police raided a youth cultural center which acted as a base for the protesters, while German police - brought in to bolster the Swiss - made repeated baton charges. The protesters looted gas stations, pharmacies and other shops, leaving downtown Geneva in chaos and its self-described status as a "city of peace" in tatters. Only a handful of stores were left intact - mainly those which had anti-G-8 or anti-war banners in their windows. Even the bulletproof windows of big banks were smashed. The violence erupted at the end of two authorized marches by anti-globalization protesters against the G-8 meeting. Police said that around 50,000 people took part in the demonstrations - one from Geneva and the other from Annemasse, just over the border in France.

The protesters blocked traffic by erecting barricades on bridges in Geneva and highways in both countries. But they failed in their goal to disrupt the arrival of G-8 leaders and delegations or penetrate the security cordon around the summit site.

Bureau Report