Thousands of anti-austerity protesters have flooded the streets leading to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt in a so-called ‘Blockupy’ protest. They are demonstrating the bank’s role in enforcing crippling spending cuts across the Eurozone.
13:38 GMT: Having reached the court-allowed limit of 200
protesters inside of the terminal, many of the demonstrators
remain outside the building with a police cordon keeping them at
bay. Activists have tweeted that anywhere between 200-800
protesters are currently blocking Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1,
although those number remain unconfirmed.
13:18 GMT: Blocupy protesters outside of Frankfurt holding
a banner opposed to Germany’s immigration policy.
12:00 GMT:
11:56 GMT: Blockupy plans to assemble outside of the
airport to protest against German immigration policies and what
activists have decried as an “inhumane deportation
system.” Fraport, the airport operator, has advised
passengers to arrive early for their flights.
11:46 GMT: Security has reportedly been stepped up at
Frankfurt airport in preparation for the arrival of the
‘Blockupy’ demonstrators.
11:24 GMT: “A fountain in the Zeil district of Frankfurt
has been dyed red with detergent and raspberry syrup,”
Tweeted public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk.
10:54 GMT: 500 protesters have gathered outside Deutsche Bank
where police tanks have been deployed to protect the building.
The demonstrators take issue with Deutsche Bank’s policy
regarding food price speculation which critics say bumps up
prices for consumers.
10:22 GMT: The ‘Blockupy’ protesters are now separating
and heading for Deutsche Bank headquarters and Frankfurt airport.
10:20 GMT: German police estimate that around 2,500
protesters have gathered in front of the European Central Bank.
They have not reported any arrests.
10:18 GMT: Eurostat data shows that the crisis is deepening,
and that nearly one in four young people in the Eurozone are
jobless. The combined EU unemployment rate is 23.5 percent.
Germany’s rate is the lowest at 7.5 percent.
10:01 GMT: Eurozone employment figures released, hitting
record high at 12.2 percent in April.
09:53 GMT: The ECB spokesman told The Guardian that the
Blockupy protests have not disturbed
day-to-day operations at the bank, but would not specify how many
bankers
managed to come to work.
9:31 GMT: Blockupy spokesman Ani Diesselmann announced,
“The blockade is standing.
The business of the ECB is successfully disrupted.”
This article originally appeared on: RT