German Youth Protests Turn Violent in Frankfurt; Police Injured, Shops Looted
Youth-led protests in Germany organised by the group "GenZ regelt!" (Gen Z has got this!) turned violent in several cities on Saturday evening after largely peaceful daytime demonstrations, police said. Tens of thousands of people joined rallies across the country, inspired by similar movements in France and Italy that call for political leaders to address the concerns of younger generations.
The demonstrations were mostly festive during the day, coinciding with Halloween. Some participants wore costumes ranging from dinosaurs to Batman, and carried signs reading "Time for resistance" and "Merz must go", referring to conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The movement's grievances include the high cost of living, poorly maintained schools, government spending cuts, sharply increased military spending and a new voluntary service model aimed at boosting troop numbers, which some fear is a step towards conscription.
In Frankfurt, the financial hub, tensions escalated in the evening when groups of young people refused to disperse. Police said they faced protesters throwing stones, fireworks and petrol bombs, and responded with water cannon and pepper spray. "Violent riots" were taking place, police said in a statement. "Windows have been smashed at several shops. Molotov cocktails are also being thrown at emergency personnel."
A gun store was among the shops looted, with its windows smashed. Police said they arrested a suspect and seized two weapons. A trainer shop and a perfume store were also targeted, according to the Bild daily. A large section of Frankfurt's main shopping street was closed off, with police vans and riot police stopping anyone from entering. A police helicopter hovered overhead as sporadic blasts were heard. At least one police officer was injured and received medical treatment.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of the state of Hesse, said that "around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the protest in Frankfurt. "It is shameful how this event here in Frankfurt has ended," he said. Police also used water cannon in Hamburg and Cologne after saying demonstrators targeted emergency service workers with fireworks, stones and bottles. In Berlin, a separate protest not organised by "GenZ regelt!" took place in the evening, with police reporting they were pelted with eggs and bottles. A police officer in Bonn suffered minor injuries during a confrontation with a group. Several police officers were injured nationwide. Police reported arresting large numbers of rioters.
Earlier in the day, the protests were mostly peaceful and festive. "I think it's really important to show solidarity with all the other protests currently happening across Europe, including in France," Milla, a 20-year-old student who only gave her first name, told AFP in Berlin. "I've been waiting for a long time for something to finally really happen, and for people to tackle this with a bit more force. I believe that today here is the first step."
"GenZ regelt!" said some 120,000 people took part in the demonstrations, below the around 180,000 they had expected. Protests also took place in France on Saturday for a third straight weekend, with clashes erupting in Paris and elsewhere. Nationwide demonstrations there on October 17 degenerated into some of the country's worst rioting in years.
