Thousands gathered across Germany on Saturday to protest over wealth inequalities and a perceived lack of transparency in the financial services industry.

According to police figures, about 2,500 people rallied in Frankfurt to march on a route that took them past the headquarters of both the German national bank and the European Central Bank (ECB).

The activist group Attac, which organized the event, said at least 5,000 had attended.

Members of the Occupy Frankfurt group, which has been camped outside the ECB for the past two weeks, have said they plan to remain at the site for two more weeks.

In Berlin, some 1,000 protesters gathered outside the main city hall carrying plaques bearing the message "Occupy Berlin."

Some want specific measures to be introduced, such as a tax on financial transactions

Other slogans included "Capitalism is crisis" and "We are the 99 percent," the later referring to figures that show one percent of the world's population holds almost 40 percent of the world's wealth.

Satirical swipe

Among the more satirical of the protests was a group of young people dressed in ball gowns and suits, chanting "We are the one percent, we are rich and you are not," as their slogan.

Organizers said that further protests were planned in both cities for November 12.

The German demonstrations on Saturday were the latest to be inspired by New York's Occupy Wall Street movement and the Spanish "indignant" protests.

In London, several hundreds of protesters against economic inequality have been camped outside St. Paul's Cathedral for the past two weeks.

Occupy protests have also continued across the United States, where the movement began in mid-September.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, AP, dpa)

Editor: Andreas Illmer