Bratislava - Supporters of Chinese President Hu Jintao, who arrived for a two-day visit to Slovakia on Thursday, attacked activists protesting against human rights violations in China, local reports said.

A group of Hu's Chinese supporters briefly clashed with the human rights activists in front of the presidential palace in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, the TA3 news channel reported.

They injured a Chinese woman practitioner of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement suppressed in the communist China, the Sme daily reported on its website.

The Chinese also wrestled with Slovak activists in an attempt to seize their banners and placards, the report said.

The clashes have caused outrage in Slovakia, which shed communism nearly 20 years ago. "I have not experienced anything like this since 1989," the Pravda daily's website cited activist Eduard Chmelar as saying.

Police broke up the competing protests, detaining six Slovaks and three Chinese, the news channel said citing police.

However, the Slovak newspapers reported on their websites that police protected the pro-Chinese activists and did little to protect the attacked human rights protesters.

Hu arrived in Slovakia after visiting Russia and before heading to Croatia for a visit aimed at promoting economic ties.

He met with his Slovak counterpart Ivan Gasparovic on Thursday and was also planned to meet Prime Minister Robert Fico and Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek.(dpa)