Shops looted and police clashes erupt as German cost of living protests turn violent
Largely peaceful mass demonstrations across German cities against the cost of living descended into violence late on Saturday, with shops looted in Frankfurt and clashes reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg.
BBC World
Rioters looted shops in central Frankfurt late on Saturday and clashes broke out with police there and in other German cities, after a day of largely peaceful mass protests over the cost of living.
Besides Frankfurt, Germany's financial hub, incidents of violence were reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Police said they used water cannon to disperse protesters who targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.
Thousands of people earlier joined the demonstrations, organised by the campaign group Gen Z regelt, which translates as "Gen Z takes charge". The group was protesting against underfunding in schools, the high cost of living, public spending cuts and military service.
The unrest in Germany follows similar youth-led mass protests in France, where more than 320,000 people also demonstrated on Saturday.
A large section of Frankfurt's main shopping street was closed off by police, according to the AFP news agency. A police spokesperson said many arrests were made in the city. Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported as many as 18,000 protesters, roughly half of what the organisers had estimated on their website.
Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were held "to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion". She added: "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden."
While the protests were largely peaceful during the day, they turned violent as night fell. In a post on X, Frankfurt police said that "violent riots" were occurring in the city centre, adding that the windows of several shops had been smashed and molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency services. In later updates, officials said the windows of a gun shop were smashed and that two weapons were seized after a suspect was arrested.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, of which Frankfurt is the biggest city, said that "around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the protest in the city. He described how the protests had ended as "shameful".
"We all have those images from France in our minds, looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers," Poseck said. "France must not be held up as a model in this regard."