Anti-riot police attacked protesters gathering against the inauguration of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) new headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 18. Reuters said more than 550 people were arrested.
Police used pepper gas and water cannons to open a path to the entrance of the building, which was being blocked by demonstrations. A minority of protesters threw stones or other projectiles and set fire to at least seven police cars. More than 100 protesters were reported to be injured.
Thousands of people also joined a demonstration later that day, including trade unions and members of Die Linke (the Left). The protests were organised by Blockupy — named after the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011.
Blockupy activist Ulrich Wilken told Reuters: “Our protest is against the ECB, as a member of the troika [the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund], that, despite the fact that it is not democratically elected, hinders the work of the Greek government. We want the austerity politics to end.”
[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]
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