Frankfurt shops looted, including a gun store, as Germany's Gen Z protests in 34 cities turn violent after dark

Masked rioters looted shops in Frankfurt on Saturday night, including a gun store, after youth-led demonstrations in 34 German cities turned violent once darkness fell. Police in the financial capital used water cannon and pepper spray against crowds throwing stones, fireworks and petrol bombs, and about 30 people were detained.

Daytime marches called by the group Gen Z Regelt, roughly "Gen Z takes charge", had been largely peaceful and in places festive, with some protesters dressed as dinosaurs and Batman for Halloween. Organisers claimed more than 100,000 people took part nationwide. Official counts in the afternoon pointed to fewer than the 182,000 organisers had first expected.

How Frankfurt's main shopping street was sealed off

The worst scenes came in Frankfurt, where police described "violent riots" in a statement, saying shop windows had been smashed and Molotov cocktails thrown at emergency personnel. Police vans and riot officers closed off much of the main shopping street as a helicopter circled overhead.

At least two stores were looted and several more damaged. Police said they arrested a suspect at the gun shop and seized two weapons. A sneaker shop and a perfume store were also reported to have been targeted. Hesse police had about 1,000 officers on the streets, including special units.

City by city

City	What was reported
Frankfurt	Shops looted, petrol bombs, water cannon and pepper spray; about 30 detained; at least one officer hurt
Hamburg	Barricades set alight; water cannon used after fireworks, stones and bottles were thrown
Cologne	Water cannon used; police said the unrest appeared more closely linked to Halloween than to the youth march
Berlin	Police pelted with eggs and bottles at an evening protest not organised by Gen Z Regelt
Bonn	One officer slightly hurt in a confrontation with a group

Arrest totals are still early and vary between regions, and no national figure has been published.

What the marchers want, and who is being blamed

Gen Z Regelt says it wants more spending on education and health, a fairer share of the economic burden, and no compulsory military service. Germany has expanded conscription plans as part of its rearmament, and that has become a rallying point. Signs in the crowds read "Time for resistance" and "Merz must go", aimed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden," spokesperson Lina Friedrich said in Berlin.

Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse, said "around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the Frankfurt march. "It is shameful how this event here in Frankfurt has ended," he said. Before the day began he had warned that France, where protests have descended into rioting and looting, "must not be held up as a model". The federal interior ministry has also claimed that far-left elements and groups tied to foreign extremist movements are helping to mobilise support.

Questions have also been raised about who is driving the campaign and how far it is really youth-led. No evidence has been made public that the organisers themselves planned the violence, and the Berlin clashes took place at an event they did not call.

Part of a wider European wave

The German marches follow a run of youth protests across Europe this year. In Serbia, student-led activism helped remove the country's long-time leader at the ballot box. France has seen some of the worst street violence, and marchers in Germany openly said they were acting in solidarity. Italy has had similar demonstrations.

Behind the anger is a stubborn economic picture. Germany has struggled to restart growth, while its pensions and public services are under strain as baby boomers retire and the workforce shrinks.

For shoppers and businesses, the damage was already felt before anything was broken: stores along Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm boarded up windows and closed early on Saturday. Police in Frankfurt and other cities have not yet published a national arrest total, and the organisers have promised to keep assembling until the government responds.