The violence erupted as officers tried to disperse the crowd gathered at the foot of the Wenceslas Statue, to pay tribute to Jan Palach, the student who burned himself to death in protest at the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia.

The mourners, mostly students, have been placing lighted candles and wreaths at the foot of the statue - traditionally a focal point for protesters.

The statue was also daubed with a slogan "Do not be indifferent to the day when the light of the future was carried forward by a burning body."

'Jan Palach Square'

Signs which said "Red Army Square" have been painted over with the words "Jan Palach Square".

Palach was buried yesterday after a ceremony at Charles University, where he was studying philosophy. An estimated 500,000 people gathered in the rain to watch the funeral procession on its final journey to the cemetery at Olsany.

There were no government representatives at the funeral and no police. Soviet troops kept out of sight.

It is understood the tough measures adopted by police trying to clear today's demonstration were the result of an ultimatum from the Soviet authorities.

Russians threaten force

The Russian leader, Leonid Brezhnev, is said to have threatened to use military force to restore order if the Czech authorities did not take control themselves.

Police say they moved in after the crowd began chanting slogans, like "Russians go home", and refused to disperse.

Officers waving batons charged the crowd and began letting off tear gas. They made a number of arrests.

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