Our intrepid reporter was not in Frankfurt when the clashes between police and protesters occurred which would shape almost all of the reporting, but the reporter was present for pretty much all of the official events.
We hope you are not surprised to learn that the approved demonstrations and assembly were not accompanied by any violence. Between 15 000 (low estimate) and 20 000 protesters spent the time between noon and just after 7 PM peacefully doing typical protest activities.
Despite the vivid photos and film of the early morning clashes, it proved difficult to get numbers and meaningful information. Police reported around 100 officers injured by noon, the vast majority of them (about 80) impacted by some sort of gas or acid type liquid, the others hit by stones, or empty glass bottles. No details were given about the extent of the "gas" or "acid" injuries, no figures for injured protesters were readily available at the time.
Long before the trade union demonstrations, long before Greek rap, Naomi Klein, a festive if slightly claustrophobic main march, minds were already made up, politicians were calling for draconian punishment, and at least 15 000 people were discredited.
The best summary of the violent early clashes can be found here (in German). There are also some great photo galleries on the page. The article also explains why the rioters could get as far as they did and why they could do so much damage: little to no police for about half an hour.
This comment from Bloomberg news is probably the prevalent condensed version of what the public will remember.
The winners of the day?
Cafes and ice cream parlors.
And, of course, the intrepid reporter who figured out the "wandering kettle", or Flexi-Kettle.
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