Italy: 68 arrested in Camorra crackdown

Italian police arrested 68 people believed to be members of the Camorra, Naples’ ruling crime machine, in one of the largest crackdowns on organized crime in recent years.

Arson attack sparks nationwide Roma protest in Czech Republic

The Czech Republic’s largest nationwide Roma demonstrations since 1989 have been sparked by an arson attack on a Roma family in the Moravian village of Vitkov, which left three severely injured.

May Day marches turn violent in Europe

Police in Berlin arrested nearly 300 at the city’s May Day march, with riot police battling hundreds of protesters deep into the night. May Day violence also rocked Hamburg, Istanbul, Athens and Zurich.

ETA’s new military leader arrested in France

In a joint operation, French and Spanish security forces arrested the presumed military chief of ETA and eight others at the village of Montauriol in southwestern France.

Italy: Berlusconi bid to double migrant detention period defeated

Italian lawmakers rejected a bid to triple the amount of time undocumented immigrants
can be detained, in a rare defeat for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling coalition.

Amnesty International criticizes Greek police in wake of youth uprising

Amnesty International is calling on Greek authorities to to address long-standing problems in policing in the wake of this year’s youth uprising .

Anti-NATO protests rock Strasbourg

Police used tear gas and arrested some 100 protesters in Strasbourg, France, on the eve of a two-day summit marking the 60th anniversary of the NATO alliance.

G-20 protests rock London financial district

Anti-G-20 protesters clashed with riot police in central London, overwhelming police lines, vandalizing the Bank of England and smashing windows at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Italy: right-wing parties to merge

Italy’s ruling right-wing parties—the Forza Italia and National Alliance, a direct descendant of Mussolini’s Fascist party—announced they will merge into a new “People of Freedom” bloc.

Belgian police arrest anti-NATO protesters

Some 130 were arrested at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels and Nieuw Milligen air base in the Netherlands in protests prompted by the upcoming 60th anniversary of the alliance’s founding.

Victory for Czech anti-radar campaign

In a setback for Pentagon plans to install a US military radar base in the Czech Republic, the Prague government temporarily withdrew its proposal to ratify an agreement on the installation.

France: workers take Sony executive hostage

Workers at a Sony plant in Pontonx-sur-l’Adour, France, took hostage the chief executive of the Japanese group’s French arm to press their demands for better severance terms.