Police in Prague Club Protesters on Rally’s 5th Day
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PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia — Riot police beat protesters with clubs today and formed human cordons to drive 2,000 people from Wenceslas Square, where activists demanding more human rights have rallied five straight days.
More than a dozen protesters were beaten badly and at least 10 were dragged away by police during a melee that broke out after authorities shouted through loudspeakers that the rally was unauthorized.
It was the most violent clash between protesters and police since the gatherings began Sunday.
The crowd had been chanting slogans demanding broader freedoms in the communist-ruled nation, but those slogans changed to “Gestapo! Gestapo!” when the baton-wielding wave of riot police swept through, lashing out indiscriminately.
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