Berlin braces for violent May Day

BERLIN, April 21 (UPI) -- German authorities are bracing for unusually strong violence accompanying May Day demonstrations in Berlin.

The German capital's far-left scene has over the past few weeks staged numerous attacks. It torched cars, damaged company buildings and expensive apartments. Authorities have been surprised by most attacks, as the individuals staging them seemed to be striking randomly.

The large numbers of these attacks has observers worried that the far-left scene is gearing up to disrupt the traditional May Day protests, which have in the past led to violent clashes between police and far-left extremists.

To prepare for an unusually rocky May Day, Berlin's authorities have asked for 1,700 additional police to be dispatched to the capital, a senior security official told German daily Tagesspiegel. More than 5,000 police will secure Berlin on May 1, a public holiday and a traditional day of protests.

One of the biggest left-wing scenes in Germany has amassed in Berlin, where rent remains relatively cheap and unemployment is high. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Kreuzberg district saw yearly mass brawls between police and protesters, with several hundred people injured and cars and shops set ablaze. But the protests had steadily lost some of their intensity over the past few years, also thanks to a police concept that has been banking on street festivals and community involvement.

Observers fear that the financial and economic crisis plays into the hands of the far-left scene eager to stage violent demonstrations on May 1.

Berlin's Interior Minister Erhart Koerting said far-left extremist groups have not gained in manpower because of the crisis.

"But those who are ready to use violence are now even more aggressive," he said.