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300 Russians and Turks brawl in Bavaria

A group of some 300 young Russians and Turks brawled in Fürth after leaving a disco early on Sunday morning, Bavarian police reported on Monday.

Published: 12 January 2009 16:26 CET

300 Russians and Turks brawl in Bavaria

Photo: DPA

Just after midnight an altercation between the two sides escalated into a massive fight involving teenagers and young adults near the club. Police estimated there between 250 and 300 young people involved.

“As the first patrol cars arrived the young people scattered in all directions,” a police statement said.

But police were able to detain some well known violent offenders at the scene. A short while later more fights were reported and police questioned some 50 rowdies nearby.

The rumble resulted in at least three dangerous injuries, police said. Other people suffered knife wounds and broken noses.

Authorities took five underage ruffians between the ages of 16 and 19 into custody and returned them to their parents. All of those arrested were under the influence of alcohol, police reported.

Fürth police inspectors are investigating the event using video surveillance of the area.

Germany raids properties in bribery probe aimed at AfD politician

The investigation targets Petr Bystron, the number-two candidate for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in next month’s European Parliament elections, Der Spiegel news outlet reported.

Police, and prosecutors in Munich, confirmed on Thursday they were conducting “a preliminary investigation against a member of the German Bundestag on the initial suspicion of bribery of elected officials and money laundering”, without giving a name.

Properties in Berlin, the southern state of Bavaria and the Spanish island of Mallorca were searched and evidence seized, they said in a statement.

About 70 police officers and 11 prosecutors were involved in the searches.

Last month, Bystron denied media reports that he was paid to spread pro-Russian views on a Moscow-financed news website, just one of several scandals that the extreme-right anti-immigration AfD is battling.

READ ALSO: How spying scandal has rocked troubled German far-right party

Bystron’s offices in the German parliament, the Bundestag, were searched after lawmakers voted to waive the immunity usually granted to MPs, his party said.

The allegations against Bystron surfaced in March when the Czech government revealed it had bust a Moscow-financed network that was using the Prague-based Voice of Europe news site to spread Russian propaganda across Europe.

Did AfD politicians receive Russian money?

Czech daily Denik N said some European politicians cooperating with the news site were paid from Russian funds, in some cases to fund their European Parliament election campaigns.

It singled out the AfD as being involved.

Denik N and Der Spiegel named Bystron and Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s top candidate for the European elections, as suspects in the case.

After the allegations emerged, Bystron said that he had “not accepted any money to advocate pro-Russian positions”.

Krah has denied receiving money for being interviewed by the site.

On Wednesday, the European Union agreed to impose a broadcast ban on the Voice of Europe, diplomats said.

The AfD’s popularity surged last year, when it capitalised on discontent in Germany at rising immigration and a weak economy, but it has dropped back in the face of recent scandals.

As well as the Russian propaganda allegations, the party has faced a Chinese spying controversy and accusations that it discussed the idea of mass deportations with extremists, prompting a wave of protests across Germany.

READ ALSO: Germany, Czech Republic accuse Russia of cyberattacks

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