Loud Bangs Heard as #Blockupy Protesters Take to Frankfurt Streets

Clashes broke out in Frankfurt early on Wednesday, March 18, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters, who set a police car on fire next to the European Central Bank building. Shots can be heard in this video, which shows smoke rising to the sky from a Frankfurt street.

Anti-austerity protesters gathered under the hashtags #Blockupy and #18M and rallied against the so-called troika, the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, who oversee financial aid to certain eurozone countries. The protest began early on March 18 ahead of the inauguration of the new ECB building in Frankfurt. Credit: Twitter/Michael Hübl