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Hungary protests into third night

Sep. 21, 2006 at 8:19AM

Budapest police had 62 people in custody Thursday following a third night of violent anti-government protests involving some 15,000 demonstrators.
      The demonstrators, whom Budapest police describe as groups of far-right supporters and soccer hooligans, gathered outside the Parliament building, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported Thursday.
      Police said 18 people were injured, two of them seriously, when police and protesters clashed overnight, the Serbian news agency Beta said.
      In the past three nights more than 200 people were injured, of which 140 were police officers, the authorities said.
      Police spokeswoman Eva Taffener said about 200 demonstrators have been arrested since street protests began Monday in Budapest and in a number of towns across the country.
      The protests, which included violent clashes with riot police, were sparked by Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's admission he and his Socialist party lied to the public about economic successes to win a second term in office in general elections in April.
      Gyurcsany is rejecting calls for his resignation and said he will keep on with economic reforms.
     
     

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