Riga  - Riot police clashed with protestors in the Latvian capital Riga on Tuesday night after a political rally descended into several hours of street fighting.

Regular police and special riot units fought running battles with rioters, who were mainly youths and included both Latvian and Russian speakers.

Tear gas and baton charges were used to restore order after a crowd several hundred strong attacked the Latvian parliament building with paving stones, causing damage to windows and doors.

A liquor store was looted and several cars were damaged, according to eyewitnesses.

Police managed to contain many rioters in narrow streets directly opposite the parliament building. Tear gas and baton charges were used.

Latvian police chief Aldis Lieljuksis told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the situation was under control at 8 pm, even though disturbances could still clearly be heard.

Soon afterwards defence minister Vinets Veldre entered the parliament building via a side entrance, surrounded by around 20 heavily-armed members of the elite Alfa force, as members of the public and journalists were cleared from the streets.

Order was restored at approximately 10 pm. Police later said they had made around 100 arrests.

The original demonstration, backed by around 20 civil groups and opposition parties, was the idea of Aigars Stokenbergs and Artis Pabriks, former government ministers and founders of the a new opposition political party.

According to police figures, 10,000 people took part in the protest, which passed peacefully until the crowd began to disperse at 7 pm.

"We want to see more professional politics," Pabriks told the flag-waving crowd. "Mister President, please listen to us here in this square and dissolve the parliament."

Demonstrators were motivated by issues such as levels of corruption in public life, a struggling economy, tax hikes, rising unemployment and cuts in social security payments.

In December the International Monetary Fund helped broker a 10-billion-dollar international bailout plan for Latvia. Many demonstrators said they feared the money would disappear into the back pockets of politicians and oligarchs instead of being used to revive the national economy.

"I am a Latvian, so I think I should be here," said Linda, one of the demonstrators, though she admitted that she had expected more people to attend.

Anete, a student, told dpa that her research grant had just been reduced by 80 per cent as a result of government cuts. "With that, you can do nothing at all," she said.

Oskars, another student, told dpa that politicians cared more for lining their own pockets and awarding themselves business contracts than planning the future of the country. (dpa)