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.
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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.
#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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