A masked mob stares at the camera, armed with steel pipes, batons and baseball bats.
The radical left wing hooligans hide their faces behind balaclavas, scarves and sunglasses, waving their weapons menacingly in the air.
The anarchists took this photo themselves and posted it on the internet.
This is the army of chaos!
It is a sad tradition: On May Day, violent criminals across Germany take part in serious and organised rioting. The trouble is focused on Hamburg and Berlin.
Last year, 479 policemen were injured in the capital – rioters even tried to set officers on fire! The police investigated four cases of attempted murder.
And experts fear 2010 could be even worse.
Up to 10,000 left wingers are expected at demonstrations and protests. In addition, neo-Nazis have also announced a march involving 3,000 people – something guaranteed to heat up an already volatile situation even further.
With Senator for the Interior Erhart Körtings (67, SPD) having ended the ‘Kuschel-Konzept’, or ‘Cuddle Concept’, in 2009 after one of the worst street battles seen for years, there is a clear policy: Zero tolerance.
Some 5,800 police officers will be on duty, and 16 public prosecutors will work around the clock from April 30 to May 2 to issue arrest warrants against wanted rioters intent on causing havoc.
Will they be able to stop the chaos this year?
Shopkeepers and residents across the whole city are already starting to barricade their businesses and dwellings ahead of the expected riots.
One shop owner said: “The police cannot protect us at all”
Bild.com
