German police use water cannon on G20 protestors

HAMBURG: Riot police used water cannon to disperse several gatherings of protestors ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Police first dislodged protestors who had set up tents in a park in the western district of Altona, according to police and media reports.

“This is not a legal rally but unauthorised camping,” said a police spokesman.

pepper spray to disperse rallies of several hundred people who had started blocking roads in various locations, in particular the Sankt-Pauli neighbourhood.

One person was arrested and a passerby, who was not involved in the demonstration, was slightly injured, according to a police message on Twitter.

On Sunday police used pepper spray as they cleared tents set up by some 600 activists on the banks of the Elbe river.

Anti-G20 protest organisers and the city-state of Hamburg have for weeks sparred in the courts over whether activists could set up tent cities.

Courts have found that, while such a protest camp would in principle be a legitimate political demonstration, police had the right to prohibit overnight camping on public lands.

About 20,000 police will be deployed to protect leaders attending the two-day meeting.