Shops looted as German cost of living protests turn violent

Key points

• Rioters looted shops in Frankfurt and clashed with police in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg on Saturday night.
• Thousands earlier joined peaceful protests organised by Gen Z regelt over living costs and school funding.
• Frankfurt police said violent riots occurred and special units were deployed; many arrests were made.

Rioters looted shops in central Frankfurt late on Saturday as clashes broke out in German cities during protests over the cost of living. Violence was also reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, where police said they used water cannon to disperse protesters who targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.

Thousands had taken part in largely peaceful demonstrations earlier in the day, organised by the campaign group Gen Z regelt, which means "Gen Z takes charge". The group was protesting against underfunding in schools, the high cost of living, public spending cuts and military service.

Violence in Frankfurt and other cities

A large section of Frankfurt's main shopping street was closed off by police, and a police spokesperson said many arrests were made. Frankfurt police said "violent riots" were occurring in the city centre and that special police units had been deployed. The windows of several shops were smashed and molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency services, police said. Officials said the windows of a gun shop were smashed and two weapons were seized after a suspect was arrested. People also broke into other shops, stealing trainers and other items, local media reported.

In Cologne, police said officers were attacked near the main train station with bottles and a bicycle. In Berlin, a smaller evening demonstration resulted in 27 police officers being injured and up to 56 people temporarily detained. In Hamburg, people dressed in black set off fireworks and set barricades on fire, with public broadcaster NDR reporting that 120 people were arrested. Police said the situation in Frankfurt calmed down overnight into Sunday.

We all have those images from France in our minds - looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers... France must not be held up as a model in this regard.

— Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state

What officials said

Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, said that "around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the protest in Frankfurt. He added that it was "shameful" how the protests had ended. Cologne's police chief Johannes Hermanns said it was "deeply saddening that young people who wanted to peacefully demonstrate for their future were infiltrated today by extremists who had nothing but violence in mind".

Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were "to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion". She said: "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden."