1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Hamburg violence

August 21, 2011

It was a case of another year, another outbreak of violence following a popular street fair in Hamburg. Although there were arrests and injuries, the unrest this time around was described as relatively mild.

https://p.dw.com/p/12KlL
Rioters attempting to break into a bank
Violence has become a fixture of the annual street fair in HamburgImage: dapd

Police used water cannons against rioters in the north German city of Hamburg on Saturday evening, August 20, following a street festival in the district of Schanzenviertel.

A small number of people, described as "less than ten," were arrested. The number of individuals injured was not immediately clear.

Disturbances began when a group of unknown individuals tried to break into a branch of the German bank Sparkasse in the district, a police spokeswoman said.

The incident took place close to the former Rote Flora theater - an alternative left wing rallying point in the city.

Fires extinguished

Water cannons and riot personnel were deployed and used against the perpetrators, police said, with numerous fires also extinguished in the area. Thousands of people were said to have been on the street at the time, although it was unclear how many had been involved in the violence.

The unrest - which followed similar instances of violence in recent years - was described as "mild" in comparison with past disturbances.

In anticipation of such violence, around 2,000 police officers were deployed in the area on Saturday night - at a cost of some 750,000 euros ($1 million).

Last year, 14 people were injured in violence following the festival with more than 40 people arrested.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Toma Tasovac