Occupy Frankfurt camp cited by police

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FRANKFURT, Germany, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Police in Frankfurt, Germany, have ruled conditions in the Occupy Frankfurt camp are no longer acceptable, citing rats and hygiene among concerns.

Nine months after the camp was originally erected in front of the European Central Bank, some say this could spell the end for Occupy Frankfurt.

"The activists didn't develop any structure and needed first of all to learn how to communicate," protest movement expert Dieter Rucht told Deutsche Welle. "There were certainly some people who will have been politicized by Occupy and will become active in other organizations."

Rats and drug addiction have become pervasive problems throughout the camp, which has also become a destination for homeless people. Police have cited the activists more than $12,300 for water, electricity and trash collection.

The newspaper reported there are about 15 activists left in the camp who share it with more than 60 homeless Romanians.

Occupy activist Erik Buhn said another reason why the Frankfurt camp could pack up and go home is that Germany's economy is doing too well, in comparison to the United States and Spain where Occupy demonstrations are still ongoing.

"We're living here in a sort of paradise land," Buhn said.

Sociologist Michael Hartmann indicated a decreased interest on behalf of the media as part of Occupy Frankfurt's possible demise.

"The number of movement activists has also gone down," he added.