Frankfurt - Occupation of print shop building ended with police intervention
The police have ended the week-long occupation of the Dondorf printing works in Frankfurt. Early on Tuesday morning, eight people were arrested on the roof of the building, one of whom resisted and was injured in the face during the arrest. "The squatters were found sleeping - as planned," report the officers.
The continued stay on the roof in the cold was a risk for the activists. The police therefore decided to evict the squatters after "examining the proportionality", they said. Previously, they had ruled out an eviction against resistance for security reasons. The activists had rejected an appeal by Goethe University for a voluntary eviction.
The activists are demanding the preservation of the building as an industrial and cultural monument. It is to be demolished to make room for a new building for the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. The building, which belongs to the state of Hesse, last housed the Institute for Art Education at Goethe University.
The raid took place at around 5.30 a.m. on Tuesday. According to the police, the occupants were taken into the building via a skylight and then to police headquarters to establish their identity. A doctor was also present there. According to the police, the building was handed over to those responsible at Goethe University. A vigil was briefly held in front of the police headquarters at midday.
At around 3.00 a.m., two people were arrested for allegedly hanging backpacks with food on a rope hoist to the roof. According to the police spokesman, this was an accessory to trespassing. The activists had previously criticized the police for denying them access to food and drink. The police, on the other hand, had explained that the activists could be safely led inside, where they would be given food and drink.
The occupation by the collective "Die Druckerei" was the second this year and had lasted over a week. After the police evacuated the interior last Thursday, a group of activists made their way to the roof, some of whom left in the meantime.
Frankfurt Police Commissioner Stefan Müller thanked the emergency services "for their very level-headed actions". They had negotiated "patiently and with great patience", albeit unsuccessfully. "The health conditions for the squatters worsened from day to day, so that access by a special task force was unavoidable as a last resort."
Following the end of the occupation, Goethe University hopes "for a return to democratic dialog". University President Enrico Schleiff thanked the police and appealed to the supporters of the collective to "continue their protest without violating the law".
Frankfurt police on X
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- The police operation in Frankfurt resulted in the arrest of eight individuals, including one who was injured during the process, during the eviction of the Dondorf printing works occupation.
- The Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main rejected the activists' plea for a voluntary evacuation of the building, which was being demanded for the preservation as an industrial and cultural monument.
- The demonstrations in support of the occupation by the collective "Die Druckerei" continued in Frankfurt on the Main, with a vigil being held in front of the police headquarters after the raid.
- The Rhine-Main area, home to several universities including Goethe University, saw tensions rise due to the police operation against the activists demanding the preservation of the Dondorf printing works building.
- Real estate development in Frankfurt's Bockenheim district, where the Dondorf printing works is located, has sparked controversy, with activists arguing for the preservation of cultural heritage over new building projects.
- The Hesse state government, which owns the Dondorf printing works building, has plans to demolish it to make way for the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, leading to protests and demonstrations from activists.
- Police in Frankfurt are calling for a return to democratic dialogue following the end of the occupation, with University President Enrico Schleiff expressing gratitude towards the police and urging supporters of the collective to continue their protests without violating the law.
Source: www.stern.de
