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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Wednesday, March 18, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://www.commondreams.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>Common Dreams</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Fed Up With Austerity Policies, #Blockupy Storms Streets of Frankfurt<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>'There's a crisis in Europe, especially southern Europe, and people are being asked to tighten their belts and we don't accept that,' says anti-Troika organizer; Hundreds arrested after splinter group clashes with riot police<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/author/deirdre-fulton-staff-writer" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>Deirdre Fulton, staff writer</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><img border=0 width=955 height=500 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D062F0.8F5E9D40" alt="Description: http://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_large/public/headlines/blockupy.jpg?itok=rBs-6xys"></span><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Blockupy protest on Wednesday coincided with the inauguration of the European Central Bank's new $1 million building in Frankfurt, Germany. (Photo: DPA)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Anti-austerity protests boiled over near the new headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt on Wednesday, with hundreds of people <a href="http://www.thelocal.de/20150318/blockupy-frankfurt-liveblog-anti-ecb-blockupy-demo-in-frankfurt"><span style='color:blue'>arrested</span></a> after an off-shoot from an otherwise peaceful march clashed with police.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Around 10,000 anti-austerity protesters reportedly <a href="http://www.dw.de/violence-as-ecb-protest-begins-in-frankfurt/a-18322124"><span style='color:blue'>gathered</span></a> under the banner of #Blockupy—an alliance united against the so-called 'Troika' of the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund who oversee bailout packages in the eurozone. The alliance opposes the economic policies behind such packages, saying they harm the poor and middle class.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://www.dw.de/rage-against-the-ecb-whats-blockupy-against/a-18321709"><span style='color:blue'>According to</span></a> the German news service <i>Deutsche Welle</i>, the Blockupy network "is composed of more than 90 organizations from across Europe—some big, some small—that have united in opposition to what Blockupy calls 'the European crisis regime'."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>As <i>Deutsche Welle</i> reported on Tuesday:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Some of the bigger member organizations include the activist groups Attac, founded in 1998 to advocate a financial transaction tax; the German political party 'Die Linke' (The Left), which currently has a little over ten percent of the seats in the national parliament; and even Germany's second biggest union union, Verdi, which has over two million members.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Syriza, the leftist alliance party that won Greece's national election in late January, is also a Blockupy member.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Around 100 high-profile guests, including ECB President Mario Draghi, were expected to attend the opening of the ECB's new headquarters, which cost a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/blockupy-protests-break-out-in-frankfurt-as-ecb-opens-new-building-1426667947"><span style='color:blue'>reported</span></a> $1 billion to build.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"We're doing this on the day of the inauguration because there’s nothing to celebrate," <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/blockupy-protests-break-out-in-frankfurt-as-ecb-opens-new-building-1426667947"><span style='color:blue'>said</span></a> Hannah Eberle, a Blockupy spokeswoman. "There's a crisis in Europe, especially southern Europe, and people are being asked to tighten their belts and we don't accept that."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>But <i>BBC</i> <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31938592"><span style='color:blue'>reports</span></a> that "hopes of a peaceful rally were dashed" early Wednesday:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Tyres and rubbish bins were set alight and police responded with water cannon as firefighters complained they were unable to get to the fires to put them out. One fire engine appeared to have had its windscreen broken.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Activists said many protesters had been hurt by police batons, water cannon and by pepper spray.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>According to news <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/mar/18/anti-capitalist-protesters-clash-police-ecb-frankfurt-hq"><span style='color:blue'>reports</span></a>, dozens of people were hurt and hundreds arrested as demonstrators <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/mar/18/blockupy-anti-ecb-protest-in-frankfurt-in-pictures"><span style='color:blue'>clashed</span></a> with riot police.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Organizers of Wednesday's rally sought to distance themselves from those perpetrating violence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"We have two types of actions in today's protests, two sides," Slauke Loewe, a member of Blockupy team, <a href="http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150318/1019660105.html"><span style='color:blue'>told</span></a> <i>Sputnik</i> news agency. "On the one hand in today’s protest there are Blockupy actions that are within our plan, thousands of people blocking the European Central Bank because of the austerity policy, on the other hand we have the actions that are not within our action plan. That is not what we were preparing for this day. It has to be clearly said!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Katja Kipping, leader of Germany's Left Party, which supported the Blockupy actions, <a href="http://www.thelocal.de/20150318/blockupy-frankfurt-liveblog-anti-ecb-blockupy-demo-in-frankfurt"><span style='color:blue'>stressed</span></a> that "Most people demonstrated peacefully. Unfortunately not everyone stuck to the consensus for the action. We want that to change."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>But the larger goal remains in place, she added: "We also want a different...social policy in Europe."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Follow the #Blockupy actions on Twitter:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Related Articles<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/03/19/education-spring-goes-college"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=220 height=115 id="Picture_x0020_2" 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target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=45 height=45 id="Picture_x0020_6" src="cid:image006.png@01D062F0.8F5E9D40" alt="Description: http://virtual-host-discourse.global.ssl.fastly.net/letter_avatar/wantrealdemocracy/45/2.png"></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://commons.commondreams.org/users/wantrealdemocracy/activity" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>wantrealdemocracy </span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Mar 18 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Be happy! Very happy! The US's Bretton Woods/IMF/World Bankster system's survival is threated by Blockupy! We need to get out on the streets here in the belly of the beast to end the bankster's control of all life on Earth. Look around you!! Can't you see the damage that is being done to us all by the psychopathic people in control of the world economy and the government of the United States. They call it 'violence' when people get so angry that they break a window or spray paint on a building? Isn't the real violence the destruction of our human and civil rights? We must respond to the violence this rotten system and corrupt government is doing to the working people of this nation. It is time to express our anger and scare the shit out of our 'rulers'. We must get out on the street to demand a truly democratic political system to share the wealth of our nation and care for our people and our environment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Time is running out. When are you going to get angry and DO something the change things?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>