Riots break out after a youth demonstration in Frankfurt: about 30 people detained

Riots after a peaceful demonstration

In Frankfurt am Main on the evening of October 31, after the mostly peaceful youth demonstration had already ended, groups of young people began smashing shop windows and looting stores on the city's main shopping street, the Zeil. Shoe stores were among those affected, and the rioters also attacked a gun shop. This was reported by Tagesschau, citing law enforcement; the incident was also covered by Life.ru.

The police response

Stones, bottles, fireworks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police officers; garbage bins burned in the streets and barricades appeared. The authorities deployed water cannons, armored vehicles, a helicopter, drones and the SEK special unit; several police officers were injured. Police seized two weapons and detained about 30 people, and brought in special forces to guard the attacked store. According to law enforcement, most of those involved in the evening riots had not taken part in the main demonstration.

What the protesters demanded

The demonstration itself was devoted to other issues: young people demanded more money for education and social programs, lower living costs, and a rejection of the return of compulsory military service. Demonstrations took place in 34 German cities; in Frankfurt alone, about eight thousand people gathered during the day. The organizers of the Gen Z regelt movement distanced themselves from the violence and said they regretted what had happened.

Merchants' preparations

Part of the rioting hit retail stores, and business owners had prepared for the risk in advance: as Life.ru noted, shops in Berlin began boarding up their windows with wooden panels even before the protests started, and the jewelry chain Wempe decided not to open its Berlin branches so as not to risk employee safety. The published reports do not yet say anything about the consequences of the detentions or the damage assessment.