Frankfurt - Police clear Dondorf print shop occupied by activists
Police began clearing the squatted former Dondorf printing works in Frankfurt on Thursday morning. "A few people are being carried out", said a police spokesperson in the morning. He was initially unable to say how many people were still in the building and on the roof of the former print shop. On the X platform (formerly Twitter), the police also stated that faeces and urine had been thrown at them. No one has been hit so far.
According to a spokesperson for the activists, there are still around five people in the building and at least 15 squatters on the roof of the four-storey building. "We can imagine that the action will drag on for a long time, because clearing the roof will be difficult for the police," she said. Around 60 supporters of the action had gathered on the site. The police also stated on X that the measures would "still take some time".
The squatters were asked to come down or leave the premises, said a police spokesperson. Officers had entered the building and were making progress. It was not initially known how many officers were deployed. The collective has been occupying the former Dondorf printing works in Frankfurt's Bockenheim district for the second time this year since last weekend. The activists rejected an appeal by Goethe University, which has the right to evict the building, for a voluntary eviction by Wednesday afternoon.
In the event of a voluntary eviction, the university had assured them that it would withdraw its criminal complaint and initiate talks on the preservation of the property and the creation of new premises. According to the collective, however, this was merely an "unclear promise". At the same time, both sides emphasized that they were still willing to talk. "The fight to keep the building will continue," announced the collective's spokesperson. A repeat occupation is not ruled out.
The activists are calling for the building to be preserved as an industrial and cultural monument. It is to be demolished to make way for a new building for the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA). The building, which belongs to the state of Hesse, most recently housed the Institute for Art Education at Goethe University.
Initiative
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- Despite the ongoing demonstrations throughout Frankfurt, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main has remained a focal point of academic activity in the Hesse region's largest city.
- Over the weekend, activists staged another occupation of a former real estate in Frankfurt's Bockenheim district, specifically the former Dondorf printing works, which is now under threat of demolition to make way for a new building for the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics.
- On Twitter, the police reported that protesters had thrown feces and urine at officers during the clearing operation of the occupied building.
- Even though the police have been making progress in clearing the squatted building, the activists have shown no signs of backing down, with at least 15 individuals continuing their protest from the roof.
- Real estate developments in Frankfurt often spark controversy, as was evidenced by the public demonstrations and the endless debate surrounding the preservation of the former Dondorf printing works as an industrial and cultural monument.
Source: www.stern.de
