German cost-of-living protests turn violent in several cities

Masked rioters smashed shop windows and looted stores in central Frankfurt on Saturday night after largely peaceful demonstrations over the cost of living and public services drew thousands of people across Germany. Clashes also broke out in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg.

The demonstrations were organised by Gen Z regelt, a youth-led campaign group whose name translates roughly as “Gen Z takes charge.” Protesters called for more spending on education, health care and climate protection, an affordable life, and an end to plans for compulsory military service.

Organisers said tens of thousands took part in demonstrations in more than 30 cities. The BBC reported that authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin counted as many as 18,000 protesters in those cities, roughly half the figure organisers had estimated on their website. CBS News reported that official nationwide figures were not immediately available.

In Berlin, young protesters gathered at Brandenburg Gate during the afternoon. “We call for more money to be invested in social services and education, as well as in climate protection — in short, in our future — because we are the ones who will be affected by this the longest and who will have to live with it,” high school student Lara Breitenbach said.

Another Berlin student, Janelle Schulz, described conditions at her school: “The ceiling is collapsing because of water damage, nothing is being done about it, we have a shortage of teachers, the toilets are broken.”

Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the group was protesting “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.”

As night fell, violence erupted. Frankfurt police said masked protesters threw stones, fireworks and pepper bombs, and that Molotov cocktails were hurled at emergency services. Several shop windows were smashed. Police closed part of the city’s main shopping street, and a police spokesperson said many arrests were made, according to the BBC.

Authorities said weapons were taken from a gun shop and later recovered. The BBC reported that police seized two weapons after arresting a suspect. Hesse state Interior Minister Roman Poseck said “around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists” had infiltrated the Frankfurt protest. He called the way it ended “shameful.”

In Hamburg, protesters fired pyrotechnics toward police and burned barricades, CBS News reported. Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds there. Police also reported violence in Berlin and Cologne.

The German demonstrations coincided with protests elsewhere in Europe. In France, more than 320,000 people joined a third consecutive weekend of largely peaceful marches over living costs and public services, according to the BBC. More than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Toulouse, Lyon and Marseille. The BBC also reported protests in Italy and Portugal, including a march against a rental bill in Portugal that demonstrators say could worsen the country’s housing crisis.