'Welcome to hell': Protesters rage in Hamburg - Live updates

RT
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 19:46 UTC

© Hannibal Hanschke / Reuters

Police officers push away activists who tried to block a street during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017

Parts of Hamburg are under a blanket of black smoke. G20 protesters in the German city started a huge inferno as the summit of world leaders kicks off.

The summit sessions are now underway with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump having shaken hands. But across the city hordes of protesters blocked streets by staging sit-down demonstrations at key intersections.

Reuters reports that streets and bridges leading to the summit were blocked as well as a road used by trucks at Hamburg Port.

Hundreds of left wing anarchists started fires and clashed with police. At least 29 activists are now under arrest and more than 150 policemen are injured.

We're working mostly with Samdesk - a UGC discovery platform - to help us geolocate and verify posts and surface dramatic videos from the city.

07 July 2017

17:13 GMT

Videos continue to surface showing cars being set on fire on the streets of Hamburg.

16:38 GMT

Hamburg police have provided an update on the number of officers injured during the ongoing clashes with protesters.

160 police officers have been injured over the course of two days of confrontations. They said a figure for the number of civilians injured is not known.

16:25 GMT

"Black Bloc" anarchists, who have been involved in riots around Hamburg, have been filmed smashing windows in the Altona district of the city.

In one of the videos rioters, with their faces clad in black, repeatedly attempt to smash a shop window using a road sign.

Some of the shops in the area boarded up some of their windows following Thursday night's disturbances.

16:15 GMT

Mounted police have been deployed to the streets to try and disperse the crowds of demonstrators.

15:45 GMT

Video footage has emerged of riot police using water cannons to disperse crowds in Landungsbrücken. Police earlier said that rioters had broken into a blocked subway station in the area.

15:24 GMT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has labelled the violent protests "unacceptable", AFP is reporting.

15:15 GMT

Hamburg police have tweeted that rioters have broken into the barricaded Landungsbrücken subway station. They are using water cannons to disperse the crowd.

15:03 GMT

Hamburg's famous Elbchaussee thoroughfare has been left littered with burnt out cars.

14:53 GMT

Police have released photos of some of the damage caused by protesters, including anti-police graffiti.

14:27 GMT

Twitter user Jesko Radtke captured video of the moment a police officer fired pepper spray in his direction. "How do you justify the use of pepper spray?" he asked Hamburg police.

14:19 GMT

US First Lady Melania Trump expressed concern for anyone hurt during the protests.
Earlier on Friday the First Lady was prevented from leaving her hotel due to safety concerns.

Comment: Hamburg police requested reinforcements following overnight clashes in the city, according to Germany's Welt newspaper, citing police officials.

Berlin and Baden-Württemberg police units deployed 200 more officers each in addition to the 20,000 or so already providing security during the G20 summit.

A police helicopter was nearly hit by a pistol flare light on Friday, Hamburg police wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, demonstrators set several cars on fire in Altona, several police vehicles also were vandalized, according to Hamburg police, who tweeted the images of police vans with black paint and smashed windows.

People have been posting numerous videos and photos online showing plumes of smoke rising in the Hamburg suburb. Police advised people to avoid the area to not get caught up in the chaotic scenes.

Protests in Hamburg are ongoing, with some groups of demonstrators sitting on the streets, while police are taking protesters one by one in attempt to clear the road.

Melania Trump is unable to leave her Hamburg accommodation due to G20 protests taking place outside, her spokeswoman confirmed to German media. The demonstrations are keeping the US first lady from attending an event with the spouses of other world leaders.

"We have no security clearance from the police to leave the guesthouse," spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told German news agency DPA.

Grisham also called the situation "unfortunate," according to NBC's chief White House correspondent, Hallie Jackson.

The first lady was due to attend an event for the spouses of world leaders, organized by the husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Joachim Sauer.