Anger as police gas "patriots"

The Financial Times Deutschlandcriticises the tough stance taken by Stuttgart’s governing Christian Democrats against a protest over a new railway station in the city, on a day the German press united in condemning police violence used to quell the peaceful rally against the so-called Stuttgart 21 project. About 1,000 demonstrators, including many conservatives, tried to disrupt the felling of 300 trees in a park to make way for the huge underground station. Faced with protesters singing the national anthem – a very rare event in Germany – the police used water cannons and tear gas, injuring 400 people. The FTD feels the hardline stance was a major mistake that might well radicalise "law-abiding citizens", and declares “Christian Democrats attack the centre.”