German Occupy Wall Street leader quits after threatening phone calls

Germany's anti-banking protest leader Wolfram Siener has quit his post as spokesman of the German Occupy Wall Street movement after receiving death threats, the daily Frankfurter Rundschau reported Monday. Siener's decision to step down came after an unkown person made threatening phone calls to his family. The 20-year-old charismatic leader drew international attention for organizing mass demonstrations on Saturday, protesting against corporate power and growing social inequality in his country. Tens of thousands took to the streets of Germany, demanding an end to the free-wheeling ways of global financial players whom they view as responsible for the present European and American economic woes. Inspired by New York's Occupy Wall Street movement, scores of people have reportedly camped out for the last two nights in Hamburg and Frankfurt. In continental Europe's financial capital, Frankfurt, dozens of people have camped outside the European Central Bank (ECB) and in a nearby park. In the northern port city of Hamburg, numerous people had been staying overnight in tents on a central city square outside HSH Nordbank, a regional bank with partial government ownership. Anti-capitalism protesters have vowed to continue demonstrations and sit-ins over the next days. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the government was taking these social protests 'very seriously.'