New violence in G8 run-up after weekend riots

BERLIN (AFP) - Germany saw fresh clashes Monday between protesters and police ahead of this week's G8 summit as anti-globalization activists fought to keep their cause from being hijacked by a violent minority.

Skirmishes broke out in the northern city of Rostock between police and about 400 extremists, some of whom pelted officers with bottles during a demonstration against refugee policy in the Group of Eight club of rich nations, authorities said.

Four protesters were detained for violating a police ban on wearing masks at a rally in front of a home for refugees where in 1992 neo-Nazis terrorized Vietnamese asylum-seekers to the applause of their German neighbors.

It was the second outbreak of violence in the run-up to the G8 summit starting Wednesday in the nearby Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, following riots Saturday in Rostock that left nearly 1,000 people injured.

The weekend protests turned bloody when a core group of extremists, clad in black clothing and balaclavas, fought pitched battles with police.

Police said 433 officers were wounded Saturday -- 30 of them seriously -- leading to calls for a new security strategy during the summit.