1) What is Blockupy Frankfurt? Who are the supporters? Why do the supporters want to occupy the city?

Blockupy Frankfurt is a campaign built up by a coalition of social movements including the occupy-movement, tradeunionists, the attac-network, the Left Party, the network of the Interventionist Left and other leftist groups. We all want to participate in the „Global Spring“ centered around May 12th., and our idea is to occupy the inner city of Frankfurt on May 18th: At least on Friday we will interrupt the working day and shut down the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB).

2) Why is this event so important?

Frankfurt is the financial capital not only of Germany but of the whole EU, the headquarters of the „troika“ of EU, ECB and IMF, a city made up by the so called „financial markets“. Germany is the leading power inside the EU, and the German government is leading in the authoritarian crisis management of the EU, which produces deprivation, disfranchisement and degradation in Greece, Spain, Italy and many other places. The German government is backed by a majority of the German people: Germany is on the winning side, and many, many people want to be on this side – not because they are „bad people“, but just to protect themselves from deprivation, disfranchisement and degradation. We want to interrupt this alliance by attacking the „heart of the beast“ – which somehow is situated in Frankfurt. We do so in order to show our solidarity with all the people forced to live under German crisis management, and we do so in order to give the people here their opportunity of choice: Which side you want to join? The governments, the Troika and the financials powers every day new repeat: There is no alternative! And we just reopen the space of politics: We do have a choice, there is an alternative. We are democracy.

3) What would be the consequences of a major event, with the participation of teams from across Europe (and from all the world) in the city to the European financial power?

This is the choreography of the Days of Resistance: Wednesday and Thursday, May 16th and 17th, people from whole Germany and many neighbouring countries will arrive at Frankfurt and will take the squares and parks. We will built up tents, we will have a lot of meetings, conversations, discussions. Friday May 18th we all will block the area of the town where all the big banks have their headquarters. We will block the streets, the entrances of the highrisers, we will swarm all around the inner city. Police will always be with us: and in that way of enforced collaboration, the traffic system will collaps. Friday evening we will celebrate, we will dance, discuss, freely walking through all the streets. Several events will be held: music concerts as well as political discussions. And Saturday, May 19th, we will have a big demonstration, still more people from all over Germany and Europe will join us.

4) Why do the authorities have banned the demonstration in Frankfurt?

That’s obvious, isn’t it? They don’t want the things happen we’re planning. And its consequent in itself: to establish the crisis regime they want to establish, they even have to finish formal democracy, they have to take away our constitutional political and social rights. But they will fail.

5) What do you do to induce the authorities to change their decision?

We continue our mobilisation which of course was strenghtened by the ban. Now, a lot of poeople support us just in order to defend the constitution and democracy. And of course we play out all the rights still given to us. We’re sure that the ban will be liftet.

6) Do you think that the event will take place anyway? In this case, it is possible that incidents occur?

Of course – We will have our Days of Resistance: No doubt about this! And „incidents“? Given the situation we have, given the conditions imposed on us, you cannot have the guarantee that there will be no „incidents“: there is so much fear, disappointment and anger in so many lifes! But that is happening every sunday, when thousands of people celebrate the soccer-games in the sporting areas. That is just capitalist mass society in the 21st century, with no offer left to the people than „austerity politics“ and unconditioned subjection under the „financial markekts“.

7) Do you think it’s possible that German authorities suspend the Shengen treaty in order to prevent the „Blockupy“?

Let’s see. That is the thing we whant to make clear: Each side will have to make its choices. Our choice is democracy, ande that includes essentially to lay down all the borders imposed of us.

Thomas Seibert is philosopher and activist of the Interventionist Left, one of the core groups of the „Blockupy Frankfurt“-Movement.
Interview in Italian: http://www.vanityfair.it/news/mondo/2012/05/11/blockupy-francoforte-filo… [2].