Berlin, March 18 (IANS): Dozens of anti-austerity protesters clashed with riot police in Frankfurt on Wednesday. The police were deployed to secure the opening of the new headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) there.
The protesters, some of whom were masked, threw stones at the police and set fire to garbage bins in the centre of the German city, Efe news agency reported.
Security forces used water cannons to disperse the young demonstrators who took to the streets early on Wednesday, engaging in violent activity that took the police by surprise.
At least one police officer and one protester were injured, according to initial police reports.
The fire department urged the protesters via Twitter to retreat in order to enable them to do its job and extinguish the raging dumpster fires and ignited barricades installed near the new ECB premises.
The anti-capitalist Blockupy alliance called for the protest on Wednesday to coincide with the opening of the new ECB headquarters.
"On March 18, 2015, the ECB wants to peacefully open its new headquarters in Frankfurt. There is nothing to celebrate in austerity and impoverishment!" Blockupy said on Tuesday.
The leftist alliance estimated that at least 10,000 people from all over Europe arrived in Frankfurt for the protests.