Frankfurt Court Orders Activists to Leave Front Lawn of ECB

The reason given by the court is that “the ban on parking that will run from 8:00 am May 16 to 4:00 pm May 20 must be respected.” An appeal was submitted to the constitutional court, but to no avail. At the encampment, about one hundred people, surrounded by police, are seated and ready to be evacuated.

Ban on several demonstrations in the business district

Although the activists are peaceful, tensions have risen in the camp after some demonstrations scheduled for this week against the austerity measures and the banks were banned. Indeed, the city fears that the “Occupy Frankfort” movement, a grouping of anti-capitalist organizations composed of Frankfort activists, plus some 40,000 other protestors expected by the local police, will disturb public order in the central business district of the German financial capital. Some demonstrations scheduled for Thursday and Friday were banned, while those scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday are still authorized.

“The only major camp that has been kept up this long”

Thanks to good organization, the life at the camp is orderly. Water and electricity are mainly paid for by donations. One of the spokesmen of the Occupy Frankfort group said, “In Europe, we are the only major camp that has been kept up this long.” Indeed, the major “Occupy” camps in London, New York, and Madrid, who were trying to spread their ideas by occupying symbolic public spaces, have already been evacuated.