Havoc at Punk Fest Stuns Germans
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BONN — Germany plunged into anxious soul-searching Monday over an annual punk festival that turned into an orgy of violence, injuring hundreds and leaving part of Hanover looking like a war zone.
Three nights of vicious clashes between the punk rockers and German police in the northern city injured police officers and punks and caused extensive damage.
A headline in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily reflected national bewilderment: “Hanover, Why?”
Calls for official heads to roll marked a bitter dispute over what exactly had happened.
About 2,000 punks from across Germany rampaged violently at their annual gathering known as “Days of Chaos.” More than 2,000 police officers from across the country were deployed to rein them in.
Police detained 2,000 people between Thursday and Sunday. Fourteen remained in custody Monday.
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