After 400 Arrests Yesterday, 25,000 Retake Frankfurt to #Blockupy Austerity

Posted 12 years ago on May 19, 2012, 2 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

blockupy queers

Updated, 12 noon EST: Numbers reached 25-30,000. Huge demonstration against power of banks and corrupt politicians. Anticapitalist bloc singing Bella Ciao. Germans carrying Greek flags in solidarity with those effected by the imposed austerity measures in Greece. A bus from Slovenia was turned away, but protesters have come from all over Europe, including a bus from France. Despite extremely heavy police presence, there have been no reports of violence. Another spontaenous solidarity demo has begun in Sttugart. More photos added below!
Updated, 7:50am EST: Around 10,000 people are already gathered in Frankfurt. Videos added below; check back later for more updates!

After local courts banned protests against the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the Blockupy Alliance went on with its demonstrations, 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, Düsseldorf, Milan Italy -- and at the German Embassy in Portland, Oregon.

Follow live: @Blockupy, @takethesquare, @OccupyFrankfurt, @OccupyGermany, @indignadosffm, @Attac_de

via Blockupy Frankfurt:

Fri 18:20:
Legal team confirms announcement of the police: All "bans on residency" are lifted. All "bans from premises" and "bans on residency" for reason of carrying weaponry, will be in effect until tomorrow morning, 7a.m.

Fri 11h Updated political and cultural program
Fri 00:25 Press Release of the investigation committee in Frankfurt the course of Thursday.

Legal Team, Two Numbers: 0160 - 69 56 331 & 0160 - 95 65 74 26
Medics: 0177 - 621 82 42

Blockupy info phone - you can call the following numbers to keep up to date:
Information Hotline
0152 - 11 87 93 50 0160 - 572 34 38

IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF PROHIBITION: MUST BE POSSIBLE PROTEST : Sign the protest letter! - Signatures
More protest statements - and calling Blockupy Musiker_innen Künsterler_innen

COME TO THE DEMO! 12 SATURDAY, HBF/BASELER PLATZ

Previous posts:
Austerity is Dying - Time to Drive a Dagger Through Its Heart! Blockupy Frankfurt, May 16-19 Germany: Blockupy Frankfurt, May 17-19!

More information:
http://www.blockupy-frankfurt.org
http://17to19m.blogsport.eu/
http://notroika.linksnavigator.de/
http://de.indymedia.org/
https://linksunten.indymedia.org/
http://www.ea-frankfurt.org/
http://twitter.com/#!/search/blockupy

Background on Blockupy (English subtitles):

Police brutality during the eviction of the Occupy camp at the ECB:

Short film of police detaining busload of protesters, conducting random searches, shots of the massive rally in Frankfurt and protesters nonviolently blockading earlier this week (German):