400 arrested in protests against Austerity in Frankfurt, Germany

[[Seed Eater]]

[quote]Blockupy Frankfurt, a coalition of social movements including Occupy, trade unionists, and the ATTAC network organizing for the #GlobalSpring in solidarity with the 15-M movement, plans to occupy downtown Frankfurt and shut down the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB). Beginning tomorrow, people from across Germany and the rest of Europe will take the squares and parks across Frankfurt and create new spaces for discussion and organizing. On Friday, May 18th, they will nonviolently swarm entrances to banks and disrupt traffic. In the evening, events including music concerts, assemblies, vigils, rallies, workshops, readings, exhibitions, and a youth-organized ¨rave against the troika¨ are scheduled. The Days of Resistance conclude Saturday, May 19th with a mass demonstration.

Last week, the government banned Blockupy and all related events in Frankfurt (protesters pledged to demonstrate anyway). The incident caused an uproar among those who saw it as a blatant attack on social and political rights of people to gather and demonstrate peacefully. The Blockupy Alliance won a partial victory in court, which lifted the ban on the Blockupy demonstration on Saturday and some other (but not all) scheduled events. The court also upheld the city's decision to evict the Occupy camp during the Days of Resistance. In response, the Blockupy Alliance has called on all who are able to gather and defend their freedom of assembly.[/quote]
[url]http://occupywallst.org/article/blockupy-frankfurt/[/url]

[quote]Around 10,000 people are already gathered in Frankfurt.
After local courts banned protests against the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the Blockupy Alliance went on with its demonstrtations, raising banners reading “Our Solidarity Against Your Crisis.” Police from multiple jurisdictions swarmed the city in the thousands, closing subway stations, stopping traffic, building fences and barricades, and establishing checkpoints throughout the city. On Wednesday, the Occupy camp near the European Central Bank was evicted. 200 people peacefully resisted and were dragged away by police in riot armor. Many protesters covered themselves in white paint as the police came to carry them off.

Yesterday, police stopped three buses with Blockupy demonstrators from Berlin and detained around 200 ¨autonomists,¨ who are ¨classified as violent¨ according to a police spokesperson to local media. Defying the ban, Blockupy nonetheless flooded the financial district to shut down banks. A massive police force was deployed and arrested 400 people. Following this, spontaneous solidarity demos happened in other German towns. Today, protesters are converging for a march (the only remaining even that was not banned by the government). Police claim to expect 30-40,000 demonstrators and have sent 5000 officers. As of early this morning, police with water canons are guarding the ECB and all traffic heading toward the demonstration are heavily guarded by police who are checking and recording identification. Solidarity rallies are also planned in Berlin and Düsseldorf.[/quote]
[url]http://occupywallst.org/article/after-400-arrests-yesterday-thousands-retake-frank/[/url]

[dagoth_ur]

oh wow, and us Irish haven't even had our referendum yet...