Germany’s cost-of-living protests, organised on Saturday by the group Gen Z regelt (“Gen Z takes charge”), turned violent by evening in several cities. The BBC reports shop looting in central Frankfurt and incidents in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg after largely peaceful daytime marches.

Thousands of young people protested underfunding of schools, high living costs, public spending cuts and military service. Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported up to about 18,000 protesters in those cities — roughly half the organisers’ estimate; German media speak of tens of thousands nationwide.

Overnight, Frankfurt police reported “violent riots” downtown: smashed shop windows, Molotov cocktails thrown at emergency services, an attack on a gun shop (two weapons seized after an arrest) and thefts including trainers. Hesse interior minister Roman Poseck spoke of about 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists infiltrating the protest; Tagesschau later cited 54 people detained (ages 13–29) and more than 100 injured officers in Frankfurt.

In Cologne, officers were attacked near the main station. In Berlin, an evening gathering left 27 officers injured and up to 56 people temporarily detained. In Hamburg, NDR reported about 120 arrests after fireworks and burning barricades. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said police had prevented “violence like that seen in Paris” and called for harsh punishments.

Spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the marches were for peace, better health and education funding, and against compulsory military service. Organisers distanced themselves from the violence. Similar Saturday protests took place in France (more than 320,000 people) and elsewhere in Europe over living costs.

Source: Shops looted as German cost-of-living protests turn violent (BBC News); confirmation: Ausschreitungen am Abend nach friedlichen Protesten am Nachmittag (tagesschau.de)