DST News: Rioters looted shops in central Frankfurt late on Saturday as clashes broke out between protesters and police in several German cities following largely peaceful demonstrations over the rising cost of living.
Violence was also reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Police said they used water cannon to disperse demonstrators who attacked emergency service workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.
Thousands of people earlier took part in demonstrations organised by campaign group Gen Z regelt, meaning “Gen Z takes charge”. The protesters raised concerns over inadequate funding for schools, rising living costs, cuts to public spending and compulsory military service.
The unrest in Germany came as similar youth-led mass demonstrations took place in France, where more than 320,000 people also took to the streets on Saturday.
According to AFP news agency, police closed off a large section of Frankfurt’s main shopping street. A police spokesperson confirmed that numerous arrests had been made in the city.
Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported a combined turnout of up to 18,000 protesters, approximately half the number estimated by organisers on their website. However, German media reported that tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country.
Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were intended to “fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion”.
She said the movement’s main priorities included improving support for the healthcare and education systems, opposing compulsory military service and ensuring a fairer distribution of responsibilities.
Although the daytime demonstrations remained largely peaceful, violence erupted as night fell.
In a post on X, Frankfurt police reported “violent riots” in the city centre. Several shops had their windows smashed, while Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency service workers, police said.
In subsequent updates, authorities confirmed that the windows of a gun shop had been broken. Police also said they had seized two weapons after arresting a suspect.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, where Frankfurt is the largest city, said around 100 individuals identified as left-wing extremists had infiltrated the demonstration.
He described the way the protests ended as “shameful” and warned against similar scenes unfolding in Germany.
“We all have those images from France in our minds – looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers,” Poseck said, adding that France should not be regarded as a model in this regard.
Source: BBC
