Protesters temporarily occupied the building site for a planned Google campus in Berlin Germany today. Eyewitness reports indicate at least six people have been arrested by local authorities.
The protesters, part of a Berlin-based “occupy” group, descended on the campus site at approximately 3:00 PM local time. Social media posts and blog reports indicate the affair was quickly broken up by police in riot gear.
15:30 | #besetzen #NoGoogle I Statement eines Augenzeugen nach Besetzung Umspannwerk Kreuzberg (geplanter #GoogleCampus). Mehrere Verletzte & Festgenommene. Berlin, Ohlauerstr./Landwehrkanal, 7.9.18#fuckoffgoogle #NoGoogleCampushttps://t.co/BiIp7JeXyW https://t.co/QYf19L4mo9 pic.twitter.com/w9qNWXkBdE
— Freundeskreis Videoclips (@freundeskreisv) September 7, 2018
The reason for the protest is laid out in a blog post, presumably written by one of the organizers:
Today we occupied the Umspannwerk in Kreuzberg to prevent the planned Google Campus there, to fight against the skyrocketing rents and to open up the space for something better.
There are reports that at least one of the protesters were seriously injured and protest organizers are calling on people to help those who’ve been jailed.
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#GoogleCampus ist geräumt, mindestens eine Person schwerer verletzt! #besetzen #fuckoffgoogle
— #besetzen (@besetzenberlin) September 7, 2018
We’ll update this story if more information becomes available. We’ve reached out to Google and the protest group for comment.
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