Riots and looting overshadow nationwide youth protests in Germany

Riots, looting and attacks on police overshadowed nationwide youth-led protests in Germany on Saturday, with serious disturbances erupting in Frankfurt and Cologne in the evening after largely peaceful demonstrations during the day.

Rioters smashed shop windows and looted stores in central Frankfurt, while police reported attacks with Molotov cocktails. In Cologne, officers were attacked with bottles and bicycles near the city's famous cathedral.

Politicians and police blamed the violence on groups of masked and radical left-wing activists.

The unrest followed demonstrations by tens of thousands of young people across Germany demanding better schools, relief from rising living costs and greater social justice, while also venting anger at conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Many of the protests passed off without incident.

Participants carried placards with slogans including "Our future is not for sale," "System change, not climate change," "Education, not bombs" and "Eat the rich."

The "Gen Z regelt" (Gen Z Takes Charge) initiative had expected demonstrations in more than 30 German cities, drawing inspiration from weeks of large-scale youth demonstrations in France and elsewhere in Europe. Although there was strong interest on social media and widespread coverage in the media, turnout was more modest than some had anticipated.

Speaking before the chaotic scenes unfolded later in the evening, the organizers hailed the protests as a success, reporting more than 100,000 participants nationwide at demonstrations held in major cities as well as smaller population centres such as Erfurt, Münster, Nuremberg and Karlsruhe.

Nationwide police figures were not available, although individual cities had released their own turnout tallies.

Looting and Molotov cocktails in Frankfurt

Frankfurt saw some of the worst scenes, with rioters smashing shop windows and breaking into stores to steal trainers and other goods, dpa journalists observed.

A specialist firearms shop was among the businesses attacked late on Saturday. Police arrested several people and recovered two weapons taken from the store, although officials did not specify what kind.

Rioters also set rubbish bins on fire, tore down street signs and smashed shop windows with signs and other objects.

Police reported that Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers as violent clashes continued in the city centre.

At around 10 pm (2100 GMT), officers sealed off a section of the Zeil, one of Germany's busiest shopping streets urging people to avoid the area.

Special police units (SEK) were also deployed as unrest continued late into the night. In total, shortly before midnight authorities said more than 1,000 security personnel were deployed in the city centre. Police reported around 30 people taken in custody.

Earlier, up to 8,000 people had joined a largely peaceful demonstration, according to police, while organizers put the turnout at around 9,000.

The protests began in the afternoon on the banks of the Main river near the European Central Bank. The procession made its way through central Frankfurt for several kilometres over several hours, with organizers urging participants to remain peaceful.

However, the situation deteriorated several hours later as police came under repeated attack with stones, bottles and firecrackers.

Officers used water cannon and broke up the demonstration in the early evening, but violent groups remained active in the city centre after many peaceful protesters had left.

Several police officers were injured, according to Hesse state Interior Minister Roman Poseck, who said one officer may have suffered more serious injuries.

According to Poseck, around 100 suspected left-wing extremists were responsible for the evening violence.

Police attacked near Cologne Cathedral

In Cologne, around 200 people, some of them rioters, were involved in disturbances around the city's cathedral, directly next to the main railway station.

Police officers were attacked with bottles, while bicycles were also hurled during the unrest. One person was injured.

Five people were detained, police said.

In a nearby side street, a window was smashed by a thrown electric scooter.

After repeated clashes, police dispersed the large crowd outside the cathedral to de-escalate the situation. Smaller groups continued moving through the city centre, however, with occasional fireworks being set off.

A police spokeswoman said the later incidents appeared to be linked more to Halloween celebrations than to the earlier youth protests.

Skirmishes in Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen

Disturbances were also reported in other cities.

In Berlin, police broke up an evening demonstration after officers were attacked with stones and protesters set off fireworks. According to police, 27 officers suffered minor injuries and up to 56 demonstrators were temporarily detained.

Around 700 people initially gathered at Rosenthaler Platz in the city centre for a march under the slogan "Gen Z Has Had Enough!" towards Prenzlauer Berg. The crowd grew to as many as 3,500 participants, police said.

Police said the atmosphere had been tense from the outset, with many participants dressed in black and wearing masks. The march was organized by groups on the political left, with pro-Palestinian activists also taking part.

After police ended the demonstration early in coordination with organizers, smaller groups continued moving through nearby streets.

"It's now like a game of cat and mouse," police spokeswoman Julia Scholz said. The situation had calmed by around 8 pm (1900 GMT).

The evening march was separate from the main "Gen Z regelt" demonstration, where up to 5,000 people had gathered peacefully at the Brandenburg Gate earlier in the day.

In Hamburg, a largely peaceful demonstration attended by around 6,700 people was followed by disturbances near the main railway station.

People dressed in black, some with their faces covered, set off fireworks, tore down plastic construction barriers and set them on fire. Police used water cannon to extinguish the flames and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

In Bremen, where around 2,800 people demonstrated, officers were punched and kicked in isolated incidents, while at least one rubbish container was set alight.