Protests against rising living costs and public spending cuts in Germany descended into violence on Saturday, with rioters smashing shop windows, looting businesses and clashing with police in several major cities.
Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg recorded incidents of unrest after thousands of people participated in demonstrations organised by youth campaign group Gen Z regelt, meaning “Gen Z takes charge”.
Police said officers deployed water cannon to disperse protesters who allegedly attacked emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.
In Frankfurt, the country’s financial hub, several shops were broken into and looted, while windows of businesses, including a gun shop, were smashed. Police said two weapons were seized following the arrest of a suspect.
Authorities also reported several arrests, while special police units were deployed to contain the violence. The situation reportedly calmed down overnight into Sunday.
The demonstrations were initially largely peaceful, with participants protesting against underfunding in schools, rising living costs, cuts to public services and compulsory military service.
A spokesperson for the campaign group, Lina Friedrich, said the movement was demanding better support for healthcare and education, as well as a fairer distribution of public responsibilities.
She said the protesters wanted “peace and freedom, rather than war and coercion”.
Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, told Bild newspaper on Sunday that police had prevented violence on the scale witnessed in Paris in recent weeks. He called for harsh punishments for those involved in rioting and looting.
Hesse State Interior Minister Roman Poseck also condemned the violence in Frankfurt, alleging that about 100 identified left-wing extremists had infiltrated the demonstration.
In Cologne, police reported attacks on officers near the main train station, while Berlin authorities said 27 officers were injured and up to 56 people were temporarily detained during an evening demonstration.
In Hamburg, authorities reported fireworks and burning barricades, with public broadcaster NDR saying about 120 people were arrested.
The unrest in Germany occurred alongside demonstrations across Europe, particularly in France, where more than 320,000 people reportedly protested against the rising cost of living and poor public services on Saturday.
French authorities said more than 770 arrests were made during the demonstrations, while police deployed tear gas in some cities to disperse crowds.
Protests were also reported in Italy and Portugal, while youth-led demonstrations have recently spread across several European countries, including Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Serbia and Albania.
Although the demands differ across the countries, protesters have largely focused on the cost of living, housing affordability, education and concerns over cuts to public services.
