Police charge militants

Press, 14 July 1981, Page 8

Police charge militants

NZPA-Reuter West Berlin The West Berlin police used tear-gas and baton charges to break up a violent protest by Left-wing demonstrators in West Berlin's exlusive Gruenwald suburb yesterday. Windows of the South African consulate were smashed and one policeman captured by the demonstrators was stripped naked and photographed.

A militant section among the 5000 supporters of a squatters’ rights movement hurled stones and paintbombs at the police and smashed windows of houses they said belonged to property speculators. The police said that at least three policemen were injured and six people arrested. Some 1000 police were called in to contain the

demonstration, called by the Alternative List party which won nine of 132 seats in May elections to the city Senate. Several hundred people have been injured in clashes between squatters and police in the past few months. The squatters are protesting against redevelopment schemes, which they say are speculative and will increase rents to an intolerable level. West Berlin has an estim-

ated 800 empty buildings, some 160 of which have recently been taken over by squatters. The city also has a chronic housing shortage. The election of a conservative Christian Democrat Senate seemed to signal a new tougher line on the issue. Police evictions last month were met with fierce resistance and led to pitched street battles.