Unrest in Frankfurt: Looting following youth protests
Violence and looting erupted in Frankfurt after the "Gen Z sorted it" demonstration. Police cordoned off parts of the city centre and arrested dozens of people.
Rioters smash windows and loot shops
Severe unrest broke out in Frankfurt's city centre after the "Gen Z sorted it" initiative demonstration ended on Saturday evening. According to WELT, rioters smashed shop windows of several stores, including a weapons shop. People attempted to take items from the looted shops.
Police subsequently cordoned off sections of Zeil, one of Germany's most visited shopping streets. Although uninvolved people were still able to leave the street, access was no longer permitted. The authorities deployed more than 1000 officers.
Attacks on police and weapons discovered
During the clashes, rioters threw Molotov cocktails at police according to reports. Following the attack on the weapons shop, deployment units secured two weapons. Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck said in a video statement at 18:30 that approximately one hundred left-wing extremist perpetrators of violence had mingled with the peaceful assembly. "It is shameful how this event ended here in Frankfurt," Poseck said.
Around 1:00 am, police detained a group of approximately 100 people to establish their identities, according to police. Details of any arrests were not initially available.
Response from the state government
Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein said he was "shocked by the violence" in Frankfurt's city centre. He stressed that consequences would not be spared. "Whoever behaves like the attackers in Frankfurt's city centre places themselves outside our society," said Rhein. Police would carefully assess the aggressors, perpetrator groups and the course of events. The Minister-President thanked the deployment forces for their efforts against the violence.
According to police, the situation in Frankfurt's city centre calmed down after the night. Officers remained present in strong numbers to maintain peace and order.
Protests escalate nationwide
The demonstrations by the "Gen Z sorted it" initiative took place in approximately 30 German cities. Violence erupted in major cities as darkness fell. In Berlin too, 56 people were arrested during the youth protests. 27 police officers sustained minor injuries but were able to continue their service. At an assembly with up to 3,500 participants at Rosenthaler Platz, there were numerous offences, including property damage, assault and violations of weapons and explosives laws. According to police, an assembly at Brandenburg Gate with up to 5,000 participants proceeded almost without disruption.
In parallel, mass protests and vandalism also occurred in neighbouring France.
Video footage of looting
The TikTok channel "I see it differently" published videos of looting at a Snipes branch in Frankfurt. The footage showed numerous people clearing out the sports shoe shop. The creator commented on the scenes with the words: "That's what people look like who broke out of the zoo" and asked one of the looters: "What do you want to achieve with that, mate?"
Source: WELT