Budapest, Sept. 20 (Reuters): Hungarian police said today that hard-core soccer hooligans had hijacked peaceful anti-government protests, but embattled Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany blamed the Opposition for two nights of violence.

Hungary’s capital, Budapest, has been wracked by the worst disturbances since the end of communism after a leaked tape in which Gyurcsany admitted he had lied to win April’s election and police expected fresh violence.

More than 200 people have been injured in the clashes.

Gyurcsany, who faced calls from the Opposition to step down as well as from thousands of peaceful protesters camped outside parliament in the evenings, sought to shift blame for the riots to the main Opposition Fidesz party, whose leader Viktor Orban has termed his government “illegitimate”.

Police said that there was a hard core of 1,000-2,000 rioters who had attached themselves to peaceful protesters, and were on the alert for a repeat.