Rioters looted central Frankfurt shops and clashed with police across German cities late Saturday following youth-led mass cost-of-living protests.
Violence erupted in Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg after daytime rallies organized by campaign group "Gen Z regelt" against school underfunding, living costs, spending cuts, and military service. Police deployed water cannons as protesters threw fireworks, stones, and Molotov cocktails.
In Frankfurt, rioters smashed shop windows, including a gun shop where police seized two weapons and arrested a suspect. About 18,000 demonstrators gathered across Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin, alongside over 320,000 in France.
Police made numerous arrests and cordoned off major commercial areas. Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich emphasized demands for healthcare, education, and peace rather than compulsory military service.
Hesse State Interior Minister Roman Poseck blamed around 100 left-wing extremists for infiltrating the Frankfurt protest, calling the unrest "shameful" and warning Germany must not replicate French riots.