By DPA
Budapest : Clashes broke out on the streets of Budapest as a group of anti-government demonstrators attempted to reach the city’s opera house, where Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany was speaking on the eve of one of Hungary’s most emotional holidays.
Hundreds of masked right-wing protestors Monday threw glass bottles and petrol bombs at lines of riot police. Police countered with tear gas and water cannon, quickly extinguishing blazes caused by the flaming missiles.
Several injuries were reported and a photographer for Reuters news agency was reportedly taken to hospital after being hit with a bottle. There were also reports of protestors deliberately attacking photographers.
Trouble came after the right-wing Hungarian Self Defence Agency and other right-wing groups decided to march to the opera following a rally on Freedom Square, where riots first broke out last year.
Among the protestors were members of the controversial Hungarian Guard, a recently formed group that Jewish organisations have condemned for wearing uniforms and insignia similar to those worn by Nazi-aligned forces during World War II.
Government officials and police had warned that renewed violence was possible and a massive police presence was on the streets to ward off potential trouble.
Police had sealed off the area around the opera, where Gyurcsany was speaking on the eve of the 51st anniversary of the 1956 uprising against Soviet rule.
Trouble kicked off when the protestors, who were calling for Gyurcsany to resign and also shouting anti-Semitic slogans, came up against the police line.
By late evening it appeared as if the flare-up had passed, with no clashes and only small groups of youths shouting at police.
Police reported that several arrests were made, among them Laszlo Toroczkai, the head of the extreme-right 64 Counties Movement, and Gyorgy Budahazy, who was one of the ringleaders when riots broke out last September.
Violence first exploded last year after a tape on which Gyurcsany admitted lying about the state of the economy was leaked to the press.
Thousands routed the police and stormed the headquarters of Hungarian Television on Freedom Square on the first night of violence. Trouble continued for more than a month.
The last major day of violence came on Oct 23, 2006 — a day that was supposed to be a solemn commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the uprising.
However, clashes began in the early afternoon and continued into the early hours of the morning.
Supporters of main centre-right opposition party Fidesz became mixed up with the violent protestors after a major Fidesz rally, and the party accused the police of beating innocent political supporters.