About 16 injured in demonstrations on Wednesday

Sixteen or seventeen people were hospitalized with injuries received in last night's violent protests in central Budapest, the spokesman of the national ambulance service told MTI on Thursday morning. Pál Győrfi said that two or three of the cases might be considered serious, but no one was in a life-threatening condition. The spokesman noted that fewer people had to receive medical assistance than before: on Monday night 129 had been hurt and on Tuesday 69 injured protesters were rushed to hospital from various parts of the city. A peaceful anti-government demonstration of 15,000 people in front of parliament dissolved in the early hours of Thursday, but a group of some 300 rampaging youth gathered around Budapest's central Oktogon junction. Police used tear gas and dispersed the crowd by about half past three in the morning, local time.
Police apprehended 62 people during last night's violent protests in Budapest, out of which 55 were detained, a municipal police spokesperson told MTI on Thursday. The detainees will face charges of breach of public order, truculence or violence against police officers, Éva Taffener said. She said that altogether more than 200 people had been arrested since the violent protests started on Monday evening in Budapest and in other parts of the country. "The police force has been bent to preserve public order and safety," Péter Gergényi, police chief of Budapest, told public television. He added that the police were committed to prevent any illegal acts in the future "with the current firmness." (Mti)