Protests over living costs, housing and public services descended into violence across Europe on Halloween, with clashes reported in Germany, France and Portugal. Police used water cannon in Frankfurt, while a French officer was engulfed in flames after being struck by a Molotov cocktail in Paris.
Germany saw some of the worst disorder after demonstrations organised by youth group Gen-Z Regelt! took place in 34 cities. About 120,000 people were said to have taken part in the protests, which the group had publicly called for as peaceful gatherings.
In Frankfurt, shops were looted and windows were smashed in the city’s financial district, including at a gun shop and a trainer store. Police later arrested a suspect and seized two weapons.
Officers said stones, bottles and fireworks were thrown at emergency workers before special units were deployed. Water cannon were used to disperse demonstrators, and a large section of the shopping area was closed because of what authorities described as violent riots.
Hesse’s interior minister, Roman Poseck, said about 100 “clearly identified left-wing extremists” had disrupted earlier peaceful demonstrations over the cost-of-living crisis.
In Berlin, bins and e-scooters were set alight, while a bus was targeted with pyrotechnics and a police van was covered in graffiti. Protesters occupied tram lines, blocked roads and continued marching into the evening.
Police said about 60 people were arrested in the capital. A separate protest at the Brandenburg Gate had passed “almost without incident”, but a later gathering at Rosenthaler Platz led to clashes in which 27 officers were “slightly injured”.
Disorder was also reported in Cologne, where officers near the main railway station were attacked with bottles and a bicycle. In Bremen, police said a march that had begun peacefully became disorderly after some participants set off pyrotechnics and insulted officers. Demonstrations were also held in Munich, while an officer in Bonn suffered minor injuries.
German police condemn violence after youth protests
Police in Frankfurt detained more than 30 people temporarily, according to local broadcaster HR. Officers said they had intervened “very decisively and also forcefully” to prevent further damage.
Cologne 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”.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said: “The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable. This breach of the peace must be followed by tough penalties.”
Mr Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the migrant community” of hijacking otherwise peaceful protests, without elaborating. He said the police strategy of maintaining a large presence across several locations had worked.
“Excesses of violence like those in Paris were prevented thanks to our highly committed police forces,” he said.
Gen-Z Regelt!, whose name means “Gen-Z has got this”, condemned violence in a statement posted online. “Extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us – no matter from which side,” the group said.
France also recorded hundreds of arrests during demonstrations over rising prices and inequality. The country’s interior ministry said 779 people had been detained nationwide, while describing the night as having passed without major incidents.
But a police officer was injured in Paris when a Molotov cocktail struck him and set him alight. France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, described the attack as an “attempted murder”, and reports said the officer suffered second-degree burns.
The Paris police prefecture said several hundred rioters had attacked security forces with projectiles. Prosecutors said explosive devices had been thrown at about 15 gendarmes and police officers.
No arrests had been made in connection with the attack at that stage, prosecutors said, adding that investigators were working to identify those responsible.
The latest unrest followed extensive riots and looting on October 17, which damaged shops, public buildings and businesses. Demonstrations that began with high school students seeking around £9 billion for education funding later widened to include trade unions and Black Bloc anarchists.
Police in Marseille arrested five people accused of trying to loot a Foot Locker shop. Officers in the Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture said the suspects were caught attempting to break into the store’s storerooms.
Clashes in Portugal over housing laws
In Lisbon, police clashed with demonstrators who had established a camp of more than 50 tents in Rossio Square. Officers moved in at about 4.30am to clear the area and detained some of those taking part.
Thousands had earlier marched through the Portuguese capital to demand that the centre-right government withdraw a controversial rental bill. Critics say the proposed legislation would worsen the country’s housing crisis.
Police commander Iuri Rodrigues had repeatedly warned protesters that they could face disobedience charges if the unauthorised tents were not removed.
The unrest came amid weeks of student demonstrations across Europe. More than 320,000 people were said to have joined marches in France as protests over education funding broadened into a wider movement.
In Albania, anger over high living costs and underfunding in education merged with calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Demonstrations there have repeatedly become violent, with protesters throwing paving stones, flares and petrol bombs at police.
Protests have also spread to Italy and Poland, while further demonstrations were held in Portugal and other parts of Europe.
