Corrosive liquid or irritant gas were used in the confrontation. About 6,000 people participated in the protests, and 1,000 of them are activists from outside Germany. Smoke covered the Frankfurt city skyline during the protest. Organizers have chartered a special train bringing demonstrators from Berlin and are busing in others from around Germany and other European countries. “The main reason for the protest is that the ECB is in the troika and the troika is responsible for the austerity policies that have pushed so many into poverty,” said Ulrich Wilken, one of the rally’s organizers. German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel condemned the riots.
