Hundreds of protesters, meanwhile, gathered at the local communist party headquarters before pulling hoods over their heads and marching on the main train station where they planned a rally coinciding with the European Economic Summit's opening Sunday afternoon.

Youths are frisked by special police forces at the Central Station of Salzburg, Austria, Sunday, July 1, 2001 prior to the start of the European Economic Summit to be held here July 1 - 3. Police brace for potentially violent anti-globalization protests as the continent's top economic and political leaders converge on Salzburg for the summit. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)

Carrying communist hammer-and-sickle flags, they chanted, ''Our world is not for sale, put the bankers into jail!''

Police had earlier sealed off the convention hall itself with rings of barriers that turned this medieval alpine tourist city into a fortified maze of checkpoints.

The extra precautions come after street fighting left 70 people injured last month at the European Union summit in Goteborg, Sweden, and similar riots injured 32 people at an anti-World Bank rally last weekend in Barcelona, Spain.

Local press reports estimated nearly 5,000 police were on duty to make sure mayhem doesn't erupt in Salzburg, the hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The event, hosted by the World Economic Forum and chaired by billionaire financier George Soros, runs through Tuesday.

Salzburg Mayor Heinz Schaden, speaking to Austrian television ORF, defended the bulked-up security saying his city's tourist industry could not afford to be scarred by scenes of looting, street fighting and stone throwing.

Kelli Smith, a 24-year-old tourist from San Diego, Calif., and a travel companion were scared off even before the protests began.

''We came down from Munich 24 hours ago and we're getting out of here,'' Smith said. ''I've never seen so many police.''

Protest organizers complained Saturday that authorities were exaggerating the threat of violence, and the streets were quiet overnight. By midday Sunday, police had made no arrests, police spokeswoman Sonja Fiegel said.

The European Economic Summit brings together the region's political and business leaders to discuss such topics as EU enlargement and Russia's relationship with the rest of Europe.

More than 600 participants from 44 countries were to take part in the meeting, including 15 heads of state or prime ministers.

Copyright 2001 Associated Press

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