Protest triggered by Algerian man's death

Hundreds of protesters gathered in a village near Berlin yesterday after an Algerian asylum-seeker was so badly injured by a …

Hundreds of protesters gathered in a village near Berlin yesterday after an Algerian asylum-seeker was so badly injured by a gang of youths that he bled to death, writes Denis Staunton. Police arrested five young people between the ages of 17 and 18 in the village of Guben but they have yet to be charged.

The suspects, who were known to the police as violent, are believed to have taken part in clashes between right-wing youths and refugees from a nearby hostel for asylum seekers early on Saturday morning. "They may be responsible for this fatal wounding," a police spokesman said.

The 28 year-old Algerian was chased through the village, in the eastern state of Brandenburg, until he fell through a glass door and bled to death from his injuries. His attackers fled the scene. A local resident noticed the blood-soaked figure and alerted the emergency services but the victim died shortly after he arrived in hospital.

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton is China Correspondent of The Irish Times