01.11.2026 16:11
In Germany, protests organized by Generation Z against the high cost of living, insufficient funding in education, and compulsory military service turned violent at night. In Frankfurt, shops were looted, the windows of a gun shop were smashed, and Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency teams. In Berlin, 27 police officers were injured and 56 people were detained; in Hamburg, 120 people were arrested.
On Saturday, protests were held in many German cities over the cost of living. In the evening, protesters clashed with police in some places, and in Frankfurt some shops were looted.
In addition to Germany's financial center Frankfurt, violent incidents also occurred in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Police announced that they used water cannons to disperse protesters who targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.
Earlier in the day, thousands of people took part in largely peaceful demonstrations. The protests were organized by a campaign group called "Gen Z regelt" (Generation Z takes responsibility) to protest inadequate funding in schools, the cost of living, cuts in public spending and military service.
In France, there were also similar mass protests on Saturday led by young people, with more than 320,000 participants. As night fell, the demonstrations turned violent.
A large part of Frankfurt's main shopping street was closed by police. A police spokesperson said numerous arrests were made in the city.
Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported that the number of protesters was around 18,000, about half of what organizers estimated on their websites. German media report that tens of thousands of people held protest demonstrations in German cities on Saturday.
Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were held "to fight for peace and freedom, not for war and oppression."
"The most important thing for us is better support for the healthcare and education systems. We oppose compulsory military service and are in favor of a fairer distribution of the burden," she said.
WINDOWS OF A GUN SHOP WERE SMASHED
On Saturday night, Frankfurt police announced that "violent riots" had occurred in the city center and that special police units had been deployed. Police stated that the windows of many shops were smashed and that Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency service teams.
Officials said the windows of a gun shop were smashed and that they seized two firearms after arresting a suspect. According to local media, people also entered other shops and stole sneakers and other items.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of the state of Hesse, to which Frankfurt belongs, said that "around 100 clearly identified far-left extremists" had infiltrated the protests in the city. He added that it was "shameful" for the protests to end in this way.
Poseck said, "We all have the images from France in our minds - looting, burning homes, burning police vehicles and attacks on police officers... France cannot be held up as an example in this regard."
Police said the situation in the city calmed down during the night and toward Sunday morning.
27 POLICE OFFICERS INJURED IN BERLIN
After the earlier largely peaceful demonstrations, similar incidents occurred in other German cities. In Cologne, police reported that they were attacked near the main train station by bottles being thrown and a bicycle being hurled at officers.
Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns said, "It is extremely sad that young people who want to demonstrate peacefully for their future have been sidelined today by extremists who have nothing but violence on their minds." According to a Berlin police statement, 27 police officers were injured and 56 people were detained in a smaller demonstration held in Berlin in the evening after larger protests during the day.
In Hamburg, people dressed in black set off fireworks and set barricades on fire; according to public broadcaster NDR, 120 people were arrested.
320,000 PEOPLE WERE ON THE STREETS IN FRANCE
The protests in Germany coincided with other large-scale demonstrations in Europe. In France, more than 320,000 people took part in protest demonstrations in cities across the country over a third largely peaceful weekend, demanding action on the high cost of living and inadequate public services, especially in the education sector.
Thousands of police officers were deployed across France to suppress the demonstrations, and tear gas was fired at protesters in some cities.
More than 500 people were detained after clashes in Toulouse, Lyon and Marseille.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said a police officer was injured by a Molotov cocktail. Paris police reported that several hundred protesters attacked security forces with various objects.
Protests were also held in Italy, and clashes occurred between police and protesters in Rome and Turin.
In Portugal, police dispersed a new tent camp set up after thousands of people marched to protest a rent bill. Protesters argue that the bill could worsen the country's housing crisis. Housing prices in the country have more than doubled in the last decade.
Recently, in many European countries such as France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Albania, mostly young protesters have taken to the streets.
While demands vary from country to country, protesters largely focus on cost-of-living issues such as access to housing, quality of education and cuts in public services.
We used artificial intelligence in the translation of this article, the original of which is in English. A BBC journalist checked the translation before publication. .