ANGELA Merkel stayed in one of Hamburg’s most expensive hotel suites while German police officers were forced to sleep on the floor as they tried to contain the G20 protests, it can be revealed.

By Will Kirby

PUBLISHED: 17:22, Mon, Jul 10, 2017 | UPDATED: 17:47, Mon, Jul 10, 2017

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The German chancellor stayed in the presidential suite at the 5-star Atlantic Kempinski hotel - which costs an eye-watering €4,600 (£4,075) a night.

The suite is comprised of five rooms - including two bedrooms and two bathrooms - and can be extended up to an area of 245 square metres.

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GETTY/FACEBOOK-THOMAS MOHR/KEMPINSKI.COM

While Mrs Merkel enjoyed a night of luxury, across the city German police officers were forced to sleep on the floor of a lobby as they tried to control G20 protests, which have been described as some of the worst riots the country has seen for decades.

More than 20,000 police officers were deployed in Hamburg to deal with the protests, with some of them working non-stop in a desperate bid to keep world leaders safe from harm.

Thomas Mohr, chairman of the police union in Mannheim, shared a photo on Facebook showing officers who had reportedly worked for 48 hours straight sleeping in their uniforms on the cold, hard floor in a lobby.

KEMPINSKI.COM

He posted the photo along with the caption: "The photograph is meant to show you, dear citizens, how the police are being treated here. It is scandalous that they were not even given a proper place to regenerate after a difficult operation, which was life-threatening to them."

Mr Mohr’s post clearly struck a nerve with the German people and has been shared more than 235,000 times.

More than 200 officers were injured in the riots as protestors launched smoke bombs and glass bottles at police.

Cars were set alight and buildings were looted, with dozens of protests detained as police officers desperately tried to retain control of the city.

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Mohammad Halabi, 32, a Syrian who arrived in Germany as a refugee some 18 months before, could not believe the carnage unfolding before him.

He said: "They are crazy. I can't believe my eyes.

"They have such a beautiful country and they're destroying it."

While Mrs Merkel spent her weekend in one of Hamburg’s most expensive hotel suites, some other world leaders opted for significantly cheaper options.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/826974/g20-summit-angela-merkel...