Youth-led protests over living costs and education turned violent in France and Germany over the weekend.
France deployed about 70,000 police and gendarmes and opened an attempted-murder probe after a petrol bomb set a riot officer alight in Paris. In Germany, rioters looted shops in Frankfurt, where 54 people aged 13 to 29 were detained and more than 100 officers were injured.
Most marchers in both countries protested peacefully. But the clashes mark a sharp escalation in a movement that has spread across Europe for weeks.
France: petrol bombs in Paris
On Saturday, 31 October, the third weekend of nationwide protests, rioters threw Molotov cocktails at riot police at the end of a march in eastern Paris. One gendarme was set alight and suffered second-degree burns. AP reported three officers injured and a car set on fire.
Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation for "attempted murder of persons vested with public authority." No suspects were in custody as of Sunday.
An estimated 320,000 people marched across France. About 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed, and the interior ministry reported 779 arrests by Saturday night. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the violence from some rioters as "extraordinary."
The weekend was calmer than earlier ones. On 17 October, 2,628 people were arrested, a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted. This time, France's Chambers of Commerce counted about 20 businesses hit.
Germany: looting in Frankfurt
More than 100,000 mostly young people marched in dozens of German cities on Saturday, called out by the youth initiative "Gen Z regelt" (roughly, "Gen Z takes charge"). Most rallies were peaceful.
Frankfurt became the flashpoint. Police estimated 1,000 to 1,500 violent troublemakers among the crowds. Hooded rioters smashed windows and threw petrol bombs, rocks and bottles at emergency services. According to Hesse's interior minister, Roman Poseck, 17 stores were damaged and five were looted.
Of the 1,300 officers deployed, more than 100 were injured. Police detained 54 people aged 13 to 29. Clashes were also reported in Cologne, where police used water cannons, and in Berlin, where protesters threw bottles and fireworks.
The organisers condemned the violence. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said rioters would be identified and held accountable. He blamed left-wing extremists and people from immigrant communities but gave no evidence.
Why young people are marching
In France, the movement began as weeks of high school protests over run-down schools and inequality. It has since drawn in university students and wider anger over the cost of living. The government has promised to replace the university admissions platform and fund school renovations. Students say that is not enough.
"Young people have been heard," President Emmanuel Macron said. Student leader Pierre Sourzat replied that "the president hasn't listened to us."
In Germany, protesters want more spending on education, housing and climate protection, and lower living costs. In Portugal, thousands marched in Lisbon for affordable housing. Riot police cleared a protest camp in the city's Rossio Square early on Sunday.
What comes next
French authorities expect more tension this week. High schools reopen on Monday after the autumn break, and blockades are set to resume. Student groups and unions have called nationwide protests for Tuesday and Thursday.
In Germany, officials have promised severe penalties for the Frankfurt rioters. Border controls were tightened before the weekend over fears that foreign extremist groups would join the protests.
Sources
- ABC News: France investigating 'attempted murder' of riot police
- ABC News: Protesters loot shops, 100 officers injured as riots spread to Germany
- AP via The Philadelphia Inquirer: French protest violence eases while scattered riots hit Germany
