Police fired tear gas to drive out about 400 students who stormed the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave. The protesters reached the Indian High Commission, which is next to the British High Commission, before being driven back while demonstrators smashed the windows of cars and a branch of the British bank Standard Chartered.

The EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the dispute should not be allowed to divide Europe and the Muslim world, while a senior US State department official said it showed moderate Muslims needed a stronger voice.

The diplomatic enclave is home to many European embassies and that of the United States, but not that of Denmark. It is barricaded and guarded by armed police.

Reuters