Graeber: in the inversion of the political subject, aka horizontal/direct democratic form, we can find new subjectivities.
Hardt congratulates us on closing the banks. What is important here is not its solidarity with other movements, but with the singularity/specificity of this action. The crisis is about us here and now – in Marx’s sense. We share subjective impoverishment, not just financial.
- workshops at Bockenheimer Warte campus of the university proceeded peacefully without police intervention. About 1,000 people were in the central square of the complex, on rooftops, or listening to talks on debt and British trades unionism in the tent.
- 15 or so police vans parked on the edge of the protest-banzone near the campus.
- There are rumours that demonstrators are travelling to a protest outside of Frankfurt.
- Several activists have acquired bikes and are cylcing between spontaneous demos across Frankfurt.
- Within the commercial zone around Hauptwache there are clearly manner people linked to Blockupy milling about in 2s and 3s.
- A spontaneous musical demo is taking place in the Zeil, with about 50 people actively participating, and one police vehicle in close attendance (plus several store guards).
- David Graeber was able to give his lecture outside of the protest-ban zone at Bockenheimer Warte/KOZ.

are now running around with the Deutsche Bank logo on their backs! [some tweeters are taking this literally – it is a joke /ed.]
15:05 CET: the dispersal of small groups across Frankfurt has unsurprisingly resulted in reports of multiple kettles and other police action across Frankfurt (Baselerplz; Rathenauplz; Messe; DGB Haus…) and also its sister town Sachsenhausen on the leftbank of the river Main. In the latter case there is a group at Schweizerplatz, which is blessed with a Deutsche Bank branch and U-bahn station (see above).
14:54 CET: The Blockupy Alliance have been in talks with teh authorities to confirm the route of tomorrow’s judicially approved march. The route:
At 12:00 demonstartors may assemble at Baslerplatz before the main railway station, before setting of at 13:00. They will proceed south to the river and then follow the rightbank upstream to Kurt-Schumacherstr. which is on the farside of the city centre, before proceeding to Konstablerwache which is the east end of teh Zeil shopping street.
The demonstrators will proceed northwards to just before the old city defences before swinging west along Bleichstrasse then Hochstrasse, which leads to the Old Opera square, where the demonstration will terminate.
The logic of the route is clear enough – the financial district (and ECB) will be avoided and protesters will pass through parts of the city used by ordinary Frankfurters.
14:38 CET: the Guardian has bothered to report on the Blockupy protests in its business liveblog. Admittedly the Graun had published a comment by John Holloway but has not covered the constitutional austerity being practised in what it regularly regards as a model social economy. Strangely, the Guardian is taking its cue from a Wall Street Journal Deutschland reporter. Had they looked more closely at local news sources, the lack of obvious demonstrations is not surprising given that a total ban is being enforced by 5,000 police and road closures. As we have noted, people are in Frankfurt’s centre but maintaining a low profile in small groups.
14:19 CET: Hessisch rundfunk is worried that it is encountering small groups of demonstrators across the city who are unable to locate demos and are frustrated.
13:21 CET: David Graeber has been banned from giving a public lecture at the “new” opera building (aka the Schauspielhaus) opposite the ECB.
13:08 CET: Former German environment minister Toepfer has been speaking in Mainz. He warns that “markets should not be allowed to take control – this will damage democracy.”
13:03 CET: Franfurter Rundschau is reporting chaotic cat-and-mouse scenes outside the railway station. About 300 demonstrators there.
12:54 CET: Willy-Brandt Platz cleared.
12:38 CET: the Guardian newspaper, which seems not to be terribly interested in Frankfurt, reports that Angela Merkel has formed Greece’s stand-in President to tell the country that it needs a functioning government. Naturally the German government is functioning perfectly in Frankfurt this week /sarcasm.
12:36 CET: a further livestream apparently filmed from Mario Draghi’s office.
12:10 CET: livestream from in front of the ECB. With admirable English translation. Human mic declares solidarity with police and calls on them to use their minds and disobey their orders.
12:00 CET: Stock exchanges are down over 1% across Europe. The FT reports that JP Morgan, which recently lost USD2bn, is sitting on a further USD100bn of junk bonds. The FTSE 100 is entering technical “correction” territory.
11:57 CET: Blockupy report that Michael Hardt has managed to reach the front of the ECB.
11:54 CET: the demonstrators being moved W have however commenced another sitdown protest.
11:48 CET: the Blockupy spokesperson tweets that the blocking of the ECB has been successfully concluded and calls on people to attend this afternoon’s workshops (see beloz) and to prepare for tomorrow’s judicially approved demonstration.
11:41 CET: It seems a group of activists has blockupied the German consulate in Venice.
11:40 CET: police clearing the ECB demonstrate out and pushing protesters down towards the main station.
11:33 CET: sitdown protest has begun at Willy-Brandt Platz. Police have asked for the 150 or so remaining demonstrators to leave. Hessisch Rundfunk reporting that 190 protesters have already been taken into custody, and that the autobahn A648 has been closed by the police.
11:07 CET: Michael Hardt, theorist with Antonio Negri of the concepts of multitude and empire, is also making his way to the ECB. Incidentally, theoretical and political pieces on debt and constituent power can be read on this very blog.
09:20 CET: Further kettle of a 150 person splinter group near the Messe Tower, which incidentally is the home of Reuters and Goldman Sachs. Reports of three kettles now in the area.
07:59 CET: above the police presence at the main railway station.
07:42 CET: Blockupy are calling for people to move to the inner city slowly, and to await further instructions.
07:35 CET: Blockupy Alliance have announced their plans for today, which as ever are subject to the general prohibition of the authorities:
- 6:00
- Blockupy ECB
- 13:00
- Land-theft rally and siege of Deutsche Bank.
- 13:00
- Taxes, central bank policy and public debt. Strategy-Workshop of the European Attac Network & Joint Social Conference (u.a. mit Franco Carminati, Attac Belgien, und Karsten Peters, Attac Deutschland). DGB-Haus, Raum 4
- 15:00
- Discussion about debt audit und on debt forgiveness with Angela Klein (Sozialistische Zeitung), Sonia Mitralia (Kommission für ein Schuldenaudit, Griechenland), N.N. (lokales Schuldenkomitee, Frankreich), Stephan Lindner (attac Deutschland). Festsaal des Studierendenhauses, Uni Campus Bockenheim.
- 15:00
- The struggle for social standards and rights in Europe – unions report. Discussion with Sara Tomlinson, Yiannis Bournous, Dumitru Fornea , Daniel Nieto Bravo, Jutta Krellmann (MdB DIE LINKE). IL Tent, Uni Campus Bockenheim.
- 16:00
- An alternative summit of social movements – why and how? Joint Social Conference. DGB-Haus, Room 4
- 16:00
- Discussion with David Graeber (Occupy New York / Goldsmiths College der University of London) and Christian Felber (Attac Österreich). Schauspiel Frankfurt at Willi-Brand-Platz
- 17:15
- Alternatives against the ruling Crisis-politics. Discussion mit Michael Weißenfeld, Jochen Nagel (GEW), Jennifer Hopert, Janine Wissler (MdL, DIE LINKE), Sabine Zimmermann (MdB, DIE LINKE). Festsaal des Studierendenhauses, Uni Campus Bockenheim.
- 18:00
- Critique of Left-reformism. TOP Berlin. UG Tent behind the Studierendenhaus Uni Campus Bockenheim.
- 19:00
- OccupySpring, an event by the Interventionist Left with support of RLS, with David Graeber (Occupy New York/ Goldsmiths College der University of London), Michael Hardt (Duke University) und Sandro Mezzadra (Universit? di Bologna). Festsaal des Studierendenhauses, Uni Campus Bockenheim.
- 19:00
- Europe against the dictatorship of banks and business! After teh elections in Greece and France. Forms of resistance and alternatives for soical movements. An event organised by the European Attac-Network with Verveine Angeli (Attac Frankreich), Thanos Contargyris (Attac Hellas) und Zeitzeugen aus Attac Spanien, Attac Österreich, Attac Portugal. Moderation: Hugo Braun (Attac Deutschland). With French and English translations. Gewerkschaftshaus, großer Saal.
07:18: Good morning. It is overcast, cold and raining in Frankfurt am Main. This does not seem to have deterred Blockupy, however, who are planning a demonstration before the European Central Bank. The financial district is once again the focus and sirens can already be heard above the noise of traffic after yesterday’s Ascension Day holiday. Spotters have noted Berlin Police vans on the Untermain Bridge that links well-to-do Sachsenhausen to the heart of the financial district.