Rioters must be punished severely

PRESIDENT Sarkozy has said he wants to see perpetrators of violence at this weekend’s Nato summit in Strasbourg “punished with the most extreme severity.”

Speaking on TF1 from Prague, where he is attending an EU/USA summit, he said it “makes no sense to go to protest for peace in the world with axes and iron bars.”

The comments follow three days of violence by extremist anti-capitalist protestors.

A group calling itself the “Black Blocs” is being held responsible for much of the violence, including smashing windows and burning buildings.

A customs building, pharmacy, ticket office and hotel were gutted.

The Black Blocs were equipped with ski masks and gas masks to avoid police tear gas and threw stones, sticks and Molotov cocktails at police.

Though questions have been raised over the failure of police to control the violence, the president said they had done “a remarkable job.”

Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries has also demanded “exemplary justice” and said he would seek compensation and explanations as to how so much damage was caused to the town.

“I think that those in charge of the police should explain the strategy they used and the reasons why things degenerated so much,” he said.

There has been universal condemnation from politicians, including those who had supported the peaceful anti-Nato protests.

Communist Party leader Marie-George Buffet said the violence deserved “clear and unambiguous sentencing,” however she said the police were at fault for not anticipating and preventing the incidents.

The Greens demanded an official enquiry and said they were “astonished” at how violence was allowed to escalate.

Last night about a dozen people were in police custody and some were expected to be judged today.

Photo: Afp/Frederic Florin