Shops Looted as German Cost‑of‑Living Protests Turn Violent
Demonstrations organized by Gen Z regelt sparked looting and clashes with police in Frankfurt and other cities after a largely peaceful day.
Rioters looted shops in central Frankfurt late on Saturday and clashes erupted with police there and in other German cities after largely peaceful mass protests over the cost of living.
Incidents of violence were also reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, where police said they used water cannon to disperse protesters who targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.
Thousands earlier joined demonstrations organised by the campaign group Gen Z regelt – meaning “Gen Z takes charge” – to protest 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, AFP news agency reported. 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. German media say tens of thousands protested in German cities on Saturday.
Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were “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 protests during the day were largely peaceful, the demonstrations turned violent as night fell.
In a post on X, Frankfurt police said that “violent riots” were occurring in the city centre. The windows of several shops had been smashed and molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency services, police said.
Later updates said the windows of a gun shop were smashed and that police seized two weapons after arresting a suspect.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, said that “around 100 clearly identified left‑wing extremists” had infiltrated the protest in the city and called the outcome “shameful”. He warned that images of looting and attacks on police from France should not be held up as a model.
The night‑time violence marked a stark shift from the earlier daytime demonstrations, leaving authorities to grapple with both the protestors’ demands and the ensuing disorder.
