[Al Arabiya Latest] Police arrested almost 1,000 people among the violent fringes of a mass rally in Copenhagen intended to put pressure on the U.N. climate summit to take stronger action.Tens of thousands of people took part in the Saturday march to the heavily guarded conference centre where world powers are struggling to hammer out a deal to combat global warming. Other rallies were held around the world from Australia to the Arctic Circle.
Most of the main Copenhagen rally was peaceful, but police moved in when hundreds of youths clad in black threw bricks and smashed windows. Riot police surrounded the troublemakers and made them sit on the ground with their hands behind their backs before being taken away on buses.
With some activists dressed as penguins with signs reading: "Save the Humans!" they marched peacefully to the conference centre on the outskirts of the city where 192 nations are meeting from Dec. 7-18 to agree a new U.N. climate pact.
Police made 968 arrests, including about 400 members of militant groups from across Europe known as Black Blocs. About 150 were released after questioning.
Demonstrations were also held in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines demanding tough measures by the 194 nations gathered at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference.