At least 350 arrested in protest at ECB headquarters opening

Violent incidents have erupted in Frankfurt ahead of a huge anti-austerity rally against the European Central Bank (ECB), on the day its new headquarters are being inaugurated in the German city.

A massive security operation is underway with at least 10,000 protesters expected from across Europe.

Responding to a call from the anti-capitalist collective 'Blockupy', activists gathered on the day of the grand opening of the new 1.3 billion euro ECB building. Among those attending, some 900 activists travelled on a specially chartered train from Berlin. Around 60 buses were expected from 39 other European cities.

The organisers behind the demonstration accused the ECB of "hindering" the Greek government. “The main reason for the protest is that the ECB is in the troika and the troika is responsible for the austerity policies that have pushed so many into poverty”, said Ulrich Wilken, one of the rally’s organisers.

Cars have been burned, windows smashed and stones thrown at police. Injuries are being reported. Police say some 350 people have been detained.

POLICE MOBILISATION

Thousands of police from across Germany have been mobilised, in what is being described as one of the biggest police deployments ever organised in Frankfurt.

Pictures showed smoke billowing across the city as protesters smashed windows and set fire to about seven police vehicles. Frankfurt's fire department also reported damage to their trucks.

At least one police officer was injured near the city's opera house, where activists threw stones at authorities. A further 80 or so were injured when activists supposedly sprayed a type of irritant fluid at police.

Activists said many protesters had been hurt by police batons, water cannon and by pepper spray.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas condemned the chaos, saying that, although people have the right to demonstrate for what they believe in, "pure rioting goes beyond all limits in the battle for political opinion."

ECB HEADQUATERS OPENING  

The president of the ECB , Mario Draghi, officially opened the new headquarters in Frankfurt following violent protests.

He said it was "not fair" to single out the ECB for unpopular austerity restrictions in place in some parts of Europe, and described protesters' actions as misguided, saying that countries need to take on more responsibility themselves.

"There are some, like many of the protesters who are outside today, who believe the problem is that Europe is doing too little," Draghi stated. "But the euro area is not a political union of the sort where some countries permanently pay for others".

He said the new headquarters for the currency union’s central bank was “a symbol of what Europe can achieve together”.

DIFFICULT SOLUTION

Speaking to Deutsche Welle, policewoman and Greens politician Irene Mihalic said she did not believe tougher punishments for violent protesters would stop them from happening again.

She called on authorities to appeal to peaceful activists to distance themselves from those who are acting aggressively. Mihalic worried that a lack of police could lead to future rallies getting out of control.

"The police have to deal with a lot," Mihalic said. "If more events occur where police are required to facilitate protests and ensure things go smoothly, then we have a problem."

A march through Frankfurt was planned for later in the afternoon.