Hamburg to Hellburg: Three days of violence

German police braced for a third day of protests with demonstrators bent on disrupting the G20 summit of global leaders in Hamburg port. Protesters clashed with police, torched patrol cars and blocked roads

Since Thursday, a hard core of the Black Bloc protestors from across Europe have looted stores, set fire to street barricades and hurled bottles and paving slabs.

The head of Hamburg police said he was shocked by the "wave of destructive anger", and that "it is to be expected that again, no peaceful protest will be possible."

The anti-globalisation Attac movement plans a demonstration of up to 100,000 people on the final day of the summit. Police said some 21,000 people had already gathered.

In the last three days, more than 200 police officers have been injured. Some 143 people have been arrested and 122 taken into custody. The number of injured protestors was not available. On Friday night, special armed police had been deployed with sub-machine guns.

Police from across Germany have been brought to Hamburg to reinforce the local force.

More that 20,000 policemen, including special forces personnel, were deployed to control the protests in Hamburg.

A tweet by Hamburg's police asked mediapersons and citizens not to film or send footage of the actions taken by the security personnel.