Gen Z Protests in Germany Turn Violent with Looting in Frankfurt and Clashes in Multiple Cities

Youth-led protests against the cost of living, underfunding in education and the possible return of mandatory military service turned violent across several German cities on Saturday, 31 October. The events, organised by the campaign group Gen Z regelt (“Gen Z takes charge”), took place in 34 cities and followed similar large demonstrations in France.

In Frankfurt, the financial centre, rioters smashed shop windows and looted stores in the city centre, including on the Zeil shopping street. Police reported Molotov cocktails thrown at emergency services and said windows were broken at a gun shop; officers arrested a suspect and seized two weapons. Over 30 people were temporarily detained in Frankfurt by late evening, according to Der Spiegel. Around 8,000 people had demonstrated largely peacefully earlier in the day before violence broke out after dark. The state interior minister of Hesse, Roman Poseck, said around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt protest.

Germany’s federal interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, told Bild that violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities had hijacked the peaceful protests. Police in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg also reported clashes. In Berlin a demonstration of about 3,500 people moved from Rosenthaler Platz toward Prenzlauer Berg. In Cologne officers were attacked with bottles and bicycles near the cathedral. Water cannons were used in several cities to disperse crowds. Officials urged bystanders to leave city centres.

Organisers had called for peaceful action and said they wanted greater investment in schools, health and housing rather than military service. A spokesperson in Berlin, Lina Friedrich, stated they were there to fight for peace and freedom rather than war and coercion. Turnout figures differed: organisers had expected higher numbers, while police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported as many as 18,000 participants, roughly half some earlier estimates. Nationwide totals were not immediately available.

The protests coincided with Halloween and came after weeks of youth demonstrations in France that drew more than 320,000 people on the same weekend. Placards included slogans such as “Our future is not for sale,” “Education, not bombs” and “Eat the rich.” By the early hours of Sunday the situation had largely calmed, though police reported considerable property damage. No overall injury figures were released, but several officers were reported injured in the violence.

The episode adds to a pattern of youth-led cost-of-living demonstrations across Europe this year. German authorities have emphasised the distinction between the daytime marches and the evening disorder, attributing the latter to organised infiltrators rather than the main organisers. Investigations into the looting and attacks on police continue.