On 18 March, in Frankfurt-on-Mein (Germany), a peaceful protest timed to the ceremonial opening of new European Central Bank headquarters turned into clashes between police and protesters.

Organisers of the event, representatives of the Blocupy group, said the action had been planned as a peaceful protest against the policy of supranational financial institutions including the "troika": the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. "We want the austerity politics to end," Ulrich Wilken, one of the organisers, said, "We want a loud but peaceful protest."

According to the mass media, around 10,000 protesters gathered in the centre of the EU financial capital. More than 90 police officers were injured in the clashes, while around 350 protesters detained. Police used water cannon and pepper spray. The number of inured protesters has not been reported. The situation had calmed down by early afternoon Frankfurt time, but police said they feared further violence in the evening, when the main protest against the ECB is scheduled to take place.

Adapted from Reuters, CNN