Gen Z Protests in Germany Turn Violent with Looting in Frankfurt

Youth-led protests against the cost of living and compulsory military service turned violent in several German cities on Saturday, with rioters looting shops in Frankfurt and police using water cannons in multiple locations.

The campaign group Gen Z regelt, or Gen Z takes charge, organized demonstrations in 34 cities. Organizers had projected more than 160,000 participants nationwide. Police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported roughly 18,000 protesters in those cities combined, about half the organizers' earlier estimates for those sites. German media described tens of thousands taking part overall.

Daytime marches were largely peaceful. Placards called for investment in schools and healthcare, opposed cuts to public services, and rejected a return to mandatory military service. By evening, masked groups smashed shop windows in Frankfurt's Zeil shopping street, looted stores including a trainer shop and a perfume shop, and threw Molotov cocktails at emergency services. Police arrested a suspect at a gun shop after windows were broken and seized two weapons.

Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists infiltrated the Frankfurt protest. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild that violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities had hijacked the events. Frankfurt police urged bystanders to leave the city centre. Similar clashes occurred in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin, where police reported attacks with bottles, fireworks and stones.

The unrest followed weeks of large youth protests in France. Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said in Berlin that participants wanted peace and freedom rather than war and coercion, and better support for health and education systems. Officials said the situation calmed in the early hours of Sunday, though property damage was considerable. Exact nationwide arrest numbers were not immediately available.

The protests coincide with Halloween and come as Germany debates the reintroduction of some form of compulsory service. Organizers framed the day as a demand for greater public investment rather than military spending. Police in several cities said the violence was limited to smaller groups after the main marches ended. The full scale of damage and the number of injured officers remain under assessment.