Violent clashes broke out in several German cities on Saturday as members of Generation Z staged demonstrations over various concerns, including the rising cost of living and inadequate funding for schools.
The protests, organised by Gen Z regelt, loosely translated as “Gen Zs got this”, were held in more than 30 cities and attracted thousands of participants.
The demonstrators also expressed opposition to government spending cuts and the possible reintroduction of compulsory military service.
Although the protests remained largely peaceful during the day, violence erupted later in the evening, prompting police to deploy water cannons and pepper spray in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne and Leipzig.
In Frankfurt, masked protesters smashed shop windows, looted businesses and attacked police officers with Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones. Several officers sustained injuries during clashes with a group of demonstrators.
“We assume there were about 100 attackers motivated by extreme leftist ideology,” Roman Poseck, the state interior minister, said.
Frankfurt police reportedly arrested around 30 people in connection with the violence.
In Hamburg, protesters launched pyrotechnics at police officers and set up burning barricades. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds, while rioters smashed shop windows and set rubbish bins alight.
Lina Friedrich, a spokesperson for Gen Z regelt, said the demonstrations were “to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion”.
“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,” Friedrich said.
The unrest in Germany follows similar youth-led mass demonstrations in France, where more than 320,000 people reportedly participated in protests for the third consecutive weekend.