Europe - 20,000 join massive occupt demo in Germany / Protesters clash with police near parliament i

(19 Jun 2012) On May 19th at least 20,000 people held a major rally of the local Occupy movement in Frankfurt to decry austerity measures affecting much of Europe, the dominance of banks, and what they call untamed capitalism. The protesters peacefully filled the centre of continental Europe's biggest financial hub on a warm and pleasant afternoon, said a police spokesman. He said 20,000 people were there, while organisers put the number at 25,000. The protest group, named Blockupy, has called for blocking access to the European Central Bank, which is located in Frankfurt's business district. One protester said their demonstration was right to "show that finance has done a lot of damage in these countries. We've lived through this in Europe. To protest against this is very honourable." In 2011 thousands in Germany took to the streets in rallies during the worldwide Occupy movement. But as Germany's economy is robust and unemployment at a record-low, those protests have mostly fizzled out. Europe's lingering debt crisis has given new fuel to some demonstrations, however. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, suffers none of the austerity measures now heavily affecting southern European nations such as Greece, Portugal and Spain. But Germany has championed the sometimes harsh spending cuts across Europe to get deficits under control. One protester said that banks were "not thinking of people, but only about how to multiply their capital." "This is what's uniting us all here," she added. ** On June 14th hundreds of protesters from various groups clashed with police in an attempt to reach the Italian Premier Mario Monti's office ahead of the arrival of French President Francois Hollande. What started as a peaceful 'Occupy Pantheon' rally held on the occasion of Hollande's visit, developed into a larger anti-government and anti-austerity protest. Protesters threw mock bombs and tried to push through police lines to break through to the streets leading to the Chigi Palace, the premier's office. They were pushed back after minor scuffles, with no immediate reports of injured people. During the rally, demonstrators used mock 'red cards' calling for the "firing of coach Monti" and kicked footballs at police, evoking the European 2012 Football championship taking place in Poland and Ukraine. The protests come amid increasing anxiety over Italy's economy, as the country's borrowing costs on its three-year bonds skyrocketed on June 14th to their highest level since December 2011. As Italy's borrowing rates rose during the week over concerns about its public finances, Monti on June 13th urged lawmakers to agree quickly to the latest reforms to persuade investors the country is serious about making the kind of deep changes that will help it get out of recession. The economy has been largely stagnant for a decade, and slid into recession in the last quarter of 2011. According to Occupy Pantheon protesters, however, the "match has been fixed" and governments and EU institutions are interested only in saving banks instead of creating new jobs and improving basic social services. They said, that was why they decided to put up tents and occupy one of the most symbolic monuments of Rome, ahead of Hollande's talks with Monti. ** On June 16th 2012 tens of thousands of protesters from across Portugal marched against the current austerity measures affecting the country. The protest against the austerity measures imposed by the government, was called by Portugal's largest union federation, the CGTP (Confederation of Portuguese Workers). ** ** "This is shameful," he said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...