June 13, 2020 - 6:55 AM
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia - Police in Slovenia briefly detained seven people who they said attempted to pull down a security fence around the parliament building during the latest in a series of anti-government protests.
The detained protesters were later fined for violating public order, police in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana said Saturday.
Thousands of Slovenians have participated in protests against the country's centre-right government every Friday for the past several weeks. Police estimated that about 5,000 attended the latest one Friday evening, when protesters rallied on foot instead of on bicycles as in previous weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.
The protesters are unhappy with the policies of right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa. They accuse him of fueling divisions and curbing media and environmental standards.
Jansa has described the protests as the work of left-wing extremists.
Earlier Friday, a few dozen people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana in support of anti-racism protests in the United States that started with the death of George Floyd following his arrest by Minneapolis police.
Slovenia is the home country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. The small Alpine nation is known for it natural beauty.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020