There were street battles in downtown Frankfurt, lasting until late at night on Saturday (October 31). Policemen, firefighters, and ambulance teams were pelted with stones, bottles, and Molotov cocktails, and stores were vandalized and looted. In the end, more than 100 policemen were injured, one of them seriously.
The situation also escalated in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin after tens of thousands of young people took to the streets across the country in mostly peaceful demonstrations. This was called for by the "Gen Z regelt" initiative, with the aim of drawing attention to the younger generation's concerns about the future and demonstrating for, among other things, improved educational opportunities, affordable housing and increased climate protection.
The Frankfurt riots: the political debate over causes and responsibility
After the riots broke out, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, of the Bavarian Christian Social Party (CSU), and Hesse State Interior Minister Roman Buzek, of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), were quick to set the tone for the debate. Bozek said that most of the detainees held German citizenship, but added: “This group of perpetrators was mostly of an immigrant nature.” Dobrynt said: “There were peaceful demonstrations and then they were hijacked as the evening approached by left-wing groups ready for violence and rioters from the immigrant community.” Thus, the two conservative politicians ignited a political debate that still resonates.
It is about violence and prosecution. But it is also about immigration and integration and the question of whether there will continue to be a conversation about the descendants of immigrants having a migrant background. Added to this is the question of whether terms such as “anarchist immigrants” define problems or reinforce prejudices. Generation Z's fears about the future threaten to fade away.
Immigration, integration, and the issue of offenders' environment
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his clear support for the Interior Minister's statements. His spokesman, Stefan Cornelius, said that the minister's assessment of the perpetrators' environment was based "on observations of the investigating authorities and field intervention forces," adding that it also matches "the video footage that many have seen."
Meretz announced on Monday evening that strict measures would be taken against the rioters. Mertz said, according to the text of his speech at an internal event of the Christian Democratic Union Party in Berlin: “There is no place for violence in our streets, and my government will not show any tolerance in this regard.” “Those who attack police officers and intervention forces and loot stores attack our freedom and mock society and the legitimate interests of young people.”
The government announces strict penalties for perpetrators of violence
The Social Democratic Party, which forms the federal government with the conservative parties, completely agrees on this point. Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defense from the Social Democratic Party, said Sunday evening on German Channel 2 that it is clear that these are criminals. “They are criminals who attack police officers, injure them and commit massive damage to property.”
But this is where the agreements end. “What are the migrant groups?” Pistorius responded to the wording used by the Federal Interior Minister. “Are they people who have been living in Germany for the third generation and have German citizenship? Where do we stop distinguishing between them?” Pistorius objected, adding: “I think this leads us in the wrong direction.”
The Social Democratic Party warns against generalizations
The federal government's integration affairs coordinator, Social Democratic Party politician Nathalie Pavlik, followed the conversation on Monday. Pavlik said in an interview with the newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" that "always attributing such violent acts to the immigrant population is too simplistic, because the mass generalizations also affect those with a migration history who demonstrated peacefully or worked themselves as members of the police force or ambulance services."
Acts of violence cannot be justified in any way and their perpetrators must be strictly punished. But if investigations show that certain groups were particularly involved then the causes of such acts of violence must be specifically identified. “In this regard, difficult questions related to the lack of future prospects, experiences of marginalization, or potential problems of integration should not be ignored,” Pavlik said.
Causes of violence: Focus on the absence of future prospects
Federal Minister for Family and Education Karin Breen also intends to highlight the reasons. She said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk Radio that it is not about stirring up negative emotions. “That would also be a political mistake.” Rather, it is about looking at reality. “If (the perpetrators) belong to the immigrant community, this should raise our concerns,” Breen said.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, about 31 percent of the German population has immigrant origins. This percentage is higher in many major cities. In Frankfurt am Main, more than half the population is of immigrant origin. According to Minister Breen, one must ask why integration success in some immigrant groups is less successful compared to other groups. The real challenge lies in enabling community participation and preventing the emergence of parallel worlds.
Generation Z protests: A debate over the right to demonstrate and its consequences
The political debate intensified after the Interior Minister of the state of Hesse floated the idea of banning further Generation Z protests. Regarding the demonstrations announced on November 20, Bozek said that the right to assembly is a sacred right. However, “peacefulness” is no less important. In their view, there have already been widespread attacks on the police during the demonstrations. “Gathering leaders do not control these gatherings.”
The organizers of the demonstrations reject these accusations. They immediately distanced themselves from the riots. Now, the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs has announced that Minister Brien has agreed to hold a meeting this week with representatives of the Federal Student Congress and the Education and Science Union to exchange views.
Brienne herself called to pay more attention to the interests of young people. “These are exactly the discussions we need to have now and that young people are rightly demanding,” she said on RBB.
