G20 protesters force Melania to cancel tour

Hamburg police have requested urgent backup from across Germany to contain violent protests on the first day of the Group of 20 summit that caused delays for US President Donald Trump and trapped his wife, Melania, inside her residence.Police confirmed that urgent backup has been requested due to the “many crimes” being committed across Hamburg.A state official said that 200 officers were already en route to the city from the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemburg.A spokeswoman for Melania Trump told DPA that the first lady was unable to leave her residence for G20-related events because her team had “not received the all-clear from police to leave”.Earlier, police physically removed more than 80 protesters from a road near Hamburg’s Outer Alster lake, which was part of a possible route from Trump’s hotel to the summit venue. Police had earlier been unable to disperse them with water cannon.Trump’s entourage ended up taking the long way around the city, resulting in a delayed arrival at the venue, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel was waiting to greet him.Authorities were dealing with a series of protests across the city yesterday, including two sit-ins blocking traffic, dozens of arson attacks on civilian and police cars, smashed windows and other damage to property, and an attack on a police helicopter.Police said that 20 protesters had attacked security guards at Hamburg’s Hotel Park Hyatt, which is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Moon Jae In and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.A police helicopter was targeted with a signal flare, but the device narrowly missed the vehicle, police said, adding that protesters had smashed the windows of the Mongolian consulate and slashed the tyres of a car belonging to the Canadian delegation.German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was forced to skip an event in central Hamburg on the sidelines of the summit because due to the security threat, organisers said.A police station in the Altona district of the city was attacked earlier on Friday, while rioters threw incendiary devices at a nearby train station and set patrol cars on fire, German police tweeted.Police advised people to avoid the area and keep their distance from the rioters.Another 200-strong sit-in blocking traffic at a crossing near Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel district was cleared by police without the use of water cannon.A DPA photographer saw between 25 and 30 burnt-out cars on the Elbchausee riverside boulevard.Television footage showed other burning cars in the Blankenese district of Hamburg. Black smoke could be seen rising over the west of the city.At the same time, hundreds of demonstrators in various parts of the city tried to break through the security cordon around the meeting venue to disrupt the beginning of the summit.Several junctions were blockaded by the demonstrators. Police have asked them to disperse in a peaceful manner.There were clashes with police as the demonstrators gathered at piers on the banks of the Elbe River and at the busy traffic junction Berliner Tor.More than 1,000 people dressed in white and purple set off from the piers, chanting, “Get lost! Get lost!” Police used batons against the demonstrators, witnesses said. At Berliner Tor more than 200 people charged, leading to scuffles with police. Police helicopters were circling overhead.“Our aim is first to get into the blue zone, then ultimately into the red zone,” said Christian Blank of the anti-globalisation group Attac.“Once there we want to paint it with our colours according to our motto ‘colour the red zone’. We want to send out a signal today, we want to bring our topics today to the man and woman on the street.”The group Block G20 — Colour the Red Zone had announced earlier that its members would use whatever means they could to disrupt the summit. Police corralled some 200 members of the group by St Michael’s Church in the centre of the city. Police said that 111 officers were injured on Thursday when the 12,000-strong “Welcome to Hell” protest turned violent.Twenty-nine people were detained overnight to Friday, with 15 remanded in custody, police said.Protesters attacked police with bottles, firecrackers and other objects, while shop windows were smashed as protesters roved through the city.Some 100,000 people are expected to join the main G20 protest taking place at Hamburg’s Deichtorplatz today.Business page 1