POLICE removed at least five protesters following clashes outside the Baxter detention centre in South Australia today. Violence erupted this morning when police in riot gear charged into a crowd of about 200 protesters as they marched on the centre near Port Augusta. Protest kites were flying and a police helicopter was buzzing overheard. Yesterday, seven people were arrested in separate clashes with police in continuing Easter weekend demonstrations.Today, Australian Democrats Leader Lyn Allison defended the protesters following violent scenes at the complex yesterday. Senator Allison said the demonstrators were outnumbered by police, charged by officers on horseback and forced to camp kilometres away from the detention centre. She deplored the use of violence, but said the clampdown on the protesters was not fair. "Violence is never useful in demonstrations of opposition to government policies, but from what I can gather, the protesters were hugely outnumbered by police - and mounted police at that - and they were charged on one occasion," Senator Allison said on Channel 10's Meet The Press program. "They were forced to camp four kilometres away from the site. All that suggests that we're clamping down on people's rights to protest and that doesn't seem fair to me."
Four people were arrested after police on horseback charged protesters yesterday afternoon, while three more people were arrested last night as demonstrations continued outside the complex. Police said some of the protesters hit police officers and their horses with cricket and baseball bats during a violent clash about 150 metres from the western perimeter fence of the Baxter centre. Two protesters were injured in the confrontation with police.