Ten of thousands took to the streets of Stuttgart on Friday to join a demonstration against a new train station that began as a one-issue protest but has become a wider movement against German politicians in general. Later in the day up to 50,000 people are expected to form a human chain, organisers said, and march against one of Germany's biggest-ever building projects -- demolishing Stuttgart's landmark railway station and building an underground station, according to Reuters. Violence has erupted in the southern city this week as thousands have staged daily sit-down strikes trying to stop the 4.1 billion euro ($5 billion) project, which critics say is not needed and a waste of taxpayer money. Die-hard opponents, who have also disrupted rail travel by storming tracks, have struck a chord in Germany. The protests grew in intensity once demolition work began this week. Demonstrators and riot police have scuffled during protests and seven demonstrators were forcibly pulled off the station roof on Thursday by elite police squads. Numbers have grown from a few thousand early in the week to tens of thousands. The increasingly violent protests could have an impact on Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. Her Christian Democrats (CDU) have ruled Baden-Wuerttemberg state since 1953 but face an uphill battle to hold power in a March 2011 election -- partly due to disenchantment over the Stuttgart station they back.
