The Berlin district of Friedrichshain, home to world-renowned techno club Berghain, saw protests descend into violence resulting in the arrests of 86 protesters.
Since June, police has been more active in removing squatters from the industrial area which culminated in over 3,500 protesters marching through the district in protest against the gentrification of the neighborhood and rising rent. The protests began peacefully but turned violent with policing firing tear gas into the crowd as the crowd threw missiles damaging police cars and breaking shop windows. Police fired tear gas as shop windows were shattered and police cars damaged.
1,800 police officers were initially deployed to the protests scene and 123 were injured in the clashes. The government intends to turn the industrial district into a ‘family entertainment district’ with further gentrification efforts set to continue on till June 2018.
H/T: Stoney Roads, BBC | Featured Image Source: Maurizio Gambarini
