Gen Z protests in Germany turn violent, with shop looting in Frankfurt

Peaceful by day, violent after dark

The campaign group Gen Z regelt called demonstrations for 31 October, the day of Halloween. Rallies were planned in 34 German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, to press for better education, lower living costs and an end to compulsory military service. Authorities had expected a largely peaceful day, and the marches stayed calm during daylight. After dark, violence broke out in several cities, with the worst scenes in Frankfurt and Cologne. Berlin and Hamburg also reported clashes, and barricades were set on fire in Hamburg.

Frankfurt and Berlin

In Frankfurt, shop windows in the city centre were smashed and Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency responders, the city's police said on X. At least two stores were looted, according to a Reuters witness cited by The Independent, and several more were damaged. Police closed the Zeil shopping street and deployed special units in the centre. Later, authorities reported that a weapons shop's windows had been broken, that one suspect had been arrested and that two guns had been seized. In Berlin, police ended a demonstration early after stones were thrown at officers and pyrotechnics were set off. Police spokesman Jörn Iffländer later said 27 officers had been lightly injured and up to 56 participants temporarily detained, and by about 20:00 the incident had fully dissolved, a police spokeswoman said.

Turnout and the numbers

Organisers had expected 182,000 participants, while their website listed about 36,000. Official figures from the afternoon of 31 October pointed to a turnout below the 182,000 organisers had initially expected. Police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported up to 18,000 protesters, about half the roughly 36,000 listed on the organisers' website. Outside Germany, more than 320,000 people joined youth-led protests in France on the same day, where demonstrations had also descended into rioting and looting.

Organisers' expectation182,000

Organisers' website listing36,000

Police count, up to (Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin)18,000

Organisers' expectation

182000 people

Organisers' website listing

36000 people

Police count, up to (Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin)

18000 people

Data from the article text

Political reaction

Federal interior minister Alexander Dobrindt, of the CSU, told Bild that violent left-wing groups and rioters from migrant backgrounds had hijacked the afternoon marches. He promised that those responsible would be identified and held accountable, and he credited police with preventing worse violence.

“Violent excesses like those in Paris were prevented thanks to our highly committed police forces.”

Hesse's minister-president Boris Rhein (CDU) said he was shocked by the violence in Frankfurt, which he said would not go without consequences.

“I am shocked by the excesses of violence in Frankfurt, which will not go without consequences.”

Hesse's interior minister Roman Poseck said about 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt protests and called the outcome shameful. Green leader Franziska Brantner condemned the violence while praising the protesters, and Günter Krings, deputy leader of the conservative parliamentary group, said Hamas sympathisers and looting had no place on German streets. SPD parliamentary business manager Dirk Wiese warned that the violence must not overshadow the concerns of young people. Thorsten Frei, leader of the conservative parliamentary group, said:

“Attacks on police officers, violence and looting cannot be justified by anything.”

What comes next

The federal interior ministry said that parts of the far-left scene and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements had joined efforts to mobilise support. German authorities had warned that extremists could try to exploit the movement. The protests follow a wave of youth-led protests elsewhere in Europe this year, including in Serbia, where student-led activism helped unseat the country's longtime leader at the ballot box. The situation in Frankfurt calmed overnight into Sunday, 1 November, but police said they would keep a strong presence on the streets.