Blockupy: German Occupy Movement Takes Over ECB in Frankfurt LIVE

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s pro-Austerity coalition suffers defeats in the ballot box, the Occupy Movement seems to be taking over Germany with #Blockupy protesters taking to the streets of the country's (and the European Union's) financial capital of Frankfurt, outside of the European Central Bank’s headquarters, for a planned four-day's worth of demonstrations.

As ECB’s policymakers reschedule meetings in order not to clash with protesters, the demonstrations which started in a pacific manner have turned somewhat violent as misunderstandings between protesters and authorities over which days and for how long the protests where going the be allowed to proceed, ended with the police removing about 200 protesters from the ECB’s premisses.

PolicyMic will be live updating the Blockupy developments:

UPDATES: 12:50 pm What is  Blockupy? If this helps, here is their pamphlet.

12:45 pm Frankfurt, like many large cities, has tour guides who lead groups around the tourist sites. Except not any more – apparently the group tours qualify as assemblies and are thus banned until Sunday. Thanks, #Blockupy

12:19 pm: Checkpoints have now been set up around central Frankfurt in a semicircle from Hauptwache to the main rail station, then up to the old city defences. People wishing to pass into the financial district are subject to spot checks. It seems in particular that people with rucksacks will be questioned.