#OccupyBerlin: 5000 people in Berlin, Germany protest in solidarity with the global outcry against capitalism emulating the OccupyWallstreet movement in NYC and around the world.
Following the call for global mobilization against capitalism, five thousand people held a peaceful protest in Berlin today and tonight. Starting in Alexanderplatz they marched towards the german house of parliament, the Bundestag. There they attempted to plant tents and occupy the lawn in front of the building. There was a second camp and protest set up in Mariannenplatz, the heart of Kreuzberg. But they were quickly interrupted by the police who confiscated several tents. According to the twitter feed #occupy_berlin, and the blog occupyberlin.wordpress.com, protesters were peaceful and organising into working groups and holding a general assembly while the police repeatedly harrassed them with pepperspray and even finally shot rubber bullets at them. It is unclear whether the occupants are still on the lawn as I write this, but I know from friends in the protest that many retreated back to their homes for the night (it’s frickin freezing out there) but the organizers called for mass demonstrations all over Berlin first thing in the morning. #OccupyBerlin #OccupyWallstreet