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Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in several German cities over rising costs of living. Groups of protesters looted shops in central Frankfurt late Saturday.
In addition to Frankfurt, Germany's financial center, similar incidents occurred in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Water cannons were used to disperse demonstrators who pelted police with fireworks, stones and bottles.
On Saturday, thousands of people joined demonstrations organized by the activist group Gen Z regelt (Generation Z Takes Charge). These people expressed dissatisfaction with low funding for schools, the high cost of living, cuts in government spending, and the need to perform military service. The protests were largely peaceful but turned violent as night fell.
The demonstrations in Germany follow similar mass youth protests in France, where more than 320,000 people also took to the streets on Saturday.
In mid-October, demonstrations in France against the high cost of living and the poor state of schools resulted in clashes with police, widespread looting and the burning of government buildings.
On Saturday, police closed off a large section of Frankfurt's main shopping street. A security official said numerous arrests had been made in the city.
Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported 18,000 protesters, about half the figure organizers said on their website. German media reported that tens of thousands of people protested in German cities on Saturday.
Gen Z regelt spokeswoman Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were organized “to fight for peace and freedom, not to fight or intimidate anyone.”
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“The most important thing for us is better support for health and education systems. We oppose compulsory military service and advocate for fairer burden-sharing,” she said.
On Saturday evening, Frankfurt police said there were "violent disturbances" in the city center and that special police units had been sent to the scene. According to police, several store windows were smashed and Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency workers.
Protesters smashed the windows of a gun store, officials said. The police detained the suspect and seized two weapons from him. According to local media, people broke into other stores, stealing sneakers and other goods.
"France should not become a model"
Roman Posek, the interior minister of Hesse, whose largest city is Frankfurt, said that "about 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had joined the protesters. He called the way the protests ended “disgraceful.”
“We all have memories of those images from France - looting, houses set on fire, police cars burned out and police attacked... France should not become a model in this regard,” Posek said.
Police said the situation in the city returned to normal on Sunday night.
Following the demonstrations, which were largely peaceful, similar incidents occurred in other German cities.
In Cologne, according to police, law enforcement officers were attacked near the main train station: bottles were thrown at them and a bicycle was thrown.
“It is deeply disappointing that the ranks of young people who wanted to peacefully stand up for their future are now being infiltrated by extremists who only have violence on their minds,” said Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns.
A small demonstration took place in Berlin in the evening, following larger protests during the day, which left 27 police officers injured and up to 56 people detained, according to Berlin police.
In Hamburg, people dressed in black set off fireworks and set fire to barriers; according to public broadcaster NDR, 120 people were arrested.
Other protests in Europe
Simultaneously with the protests in Germany, large-scale demonstrations took place in other European countries.
In France, more than 320 thousand people took part in protests, also mostly without violence, which continued in the country for the third weekend in a row. Protesters demanded a reduction in the cost of living and an improvement in the quality of government services, especially in education.
Thousands of police officers were deployed to maintain order during demonstrations across France. In some cities, police officers used tear gas against demonstrators.
More than 500 people were detained after clashes in Toulouse, Lyon and Marseille.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said one policeman was injured when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at him. Paris police said several hundred rioters pelted security forces with rocks and other objects.
Demonstrators also took to the streets of Italian cities; Clashes with police occurred in Rome and Turin.
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In Portugal, police raided tent camps in Lisbon and Porto, arresting thirteen demonstrators and injuring many others.
Activists set up camps after demonstrating to protest against the rental housing bill. House prices in Portugal have more than doubled over the past decade.
In recent weeks, protesters, mostly young people, have taken to the streets in many European countries - France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Albania.
While specific demands vary from country to country, demonstrators have largely focused on cost of living issues such as access to housing, quality of education and cuts to public services.
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