German Youth Protests Turn Violent as Shops Looted in Frankfurt
Clashes erupted in Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg after thousands marched against rising costs and military service, with police deploying water cannon and seizing weapons.
By Hiroshi Ferrari ·
Violence broke out across major German cities on Saturday night as youth-led demonstrations against the cost of living escalated into riots.
Frankfurt police reported violent clashes in the city center late Saturday. Protesters smashed the windows of several stores and threw molotov cocktails at emergency services. Officials later confirmed that the windows of a gun shop had been broken and that they seized two weapons after arresting a suspect.
Similar incidents of violence occurred in Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg. Police in these cities used water cannon to disperse crowds. Protesters targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones, and bottles.
The demonstrations were organized by the campaign group Gen Z regelt, which translates to "Gen Z takes charge." Thousands joined the marches during the day, which were largely peaceful. The group protested underfunding in schools, high living costs, public spending cuts, and the reintroduction of military service. Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin estimated that up to 18,000 people participated. This figure was roughly half of what the organizers had predicted on their website.
Lina Friedrich, a spokesperson for Gen Z regelt, stated the goal was to fight for peace and freedom rather than war and coercion. She emphasized that the group prioritizes better support for health and education systems. She also noted that the group opposes compulsory military service and supports a fairer distribution of the financial burden.
The unrest in Germany follows a wave of youth-led protests in France, where more than 320,000 people demonstrated on Saturday. Roman Poseck, the interior minister of Hesse state, said that around 100 identified left-wing extremists infiltrated the Frankfurt protest. He described the ending of the protests as shameful. Poseck referenced images from France involving looting and burning, stating that France should not be held up as a model for the current events.
The protests marked a sharp shift from the orderly marches of the afternoon to chaotic confrontations after dark. Police continued to manage the scenes in the affected German cities on Sunday.
