Germany Gen Z protests turn violent: shops looted in Frankfurt, gun store raided as cost of living rallies hit 30 cities

Youth-led protests against the rising cost of living in Germany turned violent late on Saturday 31 October, with masked rioters smashing and looting shops in Frankfurt and clashing with police in Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne, CBS News reported with the Associated Press.

What happened

The rallies were called by a youth movement named "Gen Z regelt" (roughly, "Gen Z's got this"), which brought people onto the streets in more than 30 cities "for education, health, climate protection and an affordable life", and against any return of military conscription. Organisers said tens of thousands took part; official figures were not yet available.

During the day the marches were largely peaceful. In Berlin, school students gathered at the Brandenburg Gate to demand more spending on education and housing. One student told reporters that at her school the ceiling was collapsing from water damage, teachers were short and the toilets were broken.

Trouble started in the evening, when some groups refused to disperse:

• Frankfurt: in the city's financial district, masked protesters threw stones, fireworks and pepper bombs, according to police. Shop windows were smashed and goods looted. Looters stole weapons from a gun shop; police say these were later recovered. Police also said Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers after earlier volleys of stones and bottles.
• Hamburg: protesters fired pyrotechnics at police and set barricades on fire. Police used water cannon and tear gas to clear the crowds.
• Berlin and Cologne also saw clashes after dark.

Police have not yet published figures for arrests or injuries.

Why young Germans are angry

The protesters' list is familiar to readers in Pakistan: rents and prices rising faster than incomes, crumbling public schools, and a government asking the young to carry more of the burden. Germany's debate on bringing back military service has added a sharper edge, since it is the young who would be called up. The anger is not Germany's alone: in Lisbon this weekend police cleared a new housing protest camp after thousands rallied.

If you live in or are heading to Germany

Pakistani students and workers in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne should avoid protest routes after dark, follow local police accounts for road closures, and keep their residence permit or passport copy on them. Sending money home? Today's euro to rupee rate is on our data page, and the currency converter works out any amount.