German police surround protesters at a Blockupy demonstration at Frankfurt’s Fraport airport on May 31, 2013.
Security forces have used pepper spray against thousands of anti-austerity and anti-capitalist protesters who had gathered for a second day of demonstrations in Germanyâ„¢s fifth largest city of Frankfurt.
The approximately 5,000 demonstrators belonging to the Blockupy movement marched in Frankfurt on Saturday in protest against the worsening financial conditions of Europe.
Protesters are holding the so-called Troika of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank responsible for the current crisis by dictating policies to EU governments.
“We would clearly like to say that the policies of the European Central Bank and the troika … are not the solution,” Roland Suss, a Blockupy spokesman said.
Protesters are accusing their government of punishing the poor by imposing austerity measures.
On Friday, the protesters took to the streets and cut off access to financial institutions such as the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Deutsche Bank headquarters to Å“prevent normal operations.”
The demonstrations coincide with the ECBâ„¢s 15th anniversary.
Similar protests are scheduled to take place later on Saturday in Portugal and Spain.
Blockupy began after the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011.
Europe plunged into financial crisis in early 2008 and most European governments have taken tough austerity measures to contain their debt crises.
The harsh measures and tough economic reforms have triggered incidents of social unrest and massive protests in many European countries.
SZH/SS
This article originally appeared on: Press TV