Protesters, Barcelona Police Clash After EU Summit

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Spanish police clashed with anti-capitalist protesters in Barcelona on Saturday following a march by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators after a European Union (news - web sites) summit.

The bulk of the rally had passed off peacefully but as it drew to a close in the city's historic downtown port area after dark, bottles and stones started flying and police fired rubber bullets and charged in with batons flailing.

Some demonstrators set fires in trash cans. Young militants, some of them hooded or covering their faces with scarves, threw bottles and rocks and fired flares at public buildings. One police statement said some militants had thrown petrol bombs.

Police said they made 38 arrests and seven officers were injured. It was not clear if there were serious injuries among protesters and bystanders. Reuters correspondents saw police beat at least two men and a Reuters photographer saw a fellow journalist being helped to his feet after being hurt.