Frankfurt In Flames Amid Anti-Capitalist Rally

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Violent clashes have broken out in Germany's financial capital ahead of the opening of the European Central Bank's new headquarters.

Police in Frankfurt say they have arrested about 350 people after anti-austerity demonstrators became "aggressive and violent" in the early hours of the morning.

Almost 90 officers were reportedly injured after police and firefighters came under attack from activists throwing stones and hurling "unidentified liquids".

Meanwhile, reports of cars being torched across the city continued to emerge, including three police patrol vehicles which were set alight during an attack on a central police station.

The police and fire departments both issued appeals on Twitter, urging protesters to remain calm.

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Gallery: Frankfurt In Flames As ECB Building Protests Turn Violent

Members of the so-called "Blockupy alliance" have staged protests against austerity and the authority of the European Central Bank ahead of its new headquarters officially opening in Frankfurt, Germany

A policeman stops an anti-capitalist protester near the ECB building

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Protesters climb one of the Frankfurt towers. Pic@ @khusain

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Four German police cars set on fire by protesters burn near the ECB building

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Riot police clash with protesters dressed as clowns. Continue through for more pictures

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"Our firefighters are being attacked. Please stop doing that!" Frankfurt Fire Department tweeted.

Shortly before the ECB building's inauguration, police deployed water cannon to disperse groups of protesters gathered outside the security zone around the 185-metre (605ft) new skyscraper.

There is a massive police presence across the city, with up to 10,000 anti-austerity protesters, marching under the "Blockupy" banner, expected to take part in the rally.

"It is one of the biggest deployments ever in the city," a police spokeswoman told news agency AFP.

Blockupy, which brings together an alliance of anti-capitalist and anti-austerity groups from across Europe, has repeatedly organised protests in Frankfurt's banking district since 2012.

The organisation is targeting the ECB over its role in imposing austerity measures on financially troubled countries like Greece.

On its official Twitter page, the group accused police of brutality, claiming several people had been injured.

"Stop police violence," it wrote.

Activists have erected a banner reading "capitalism kills" in view of the new building.

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