(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) This Saturday (October 31), more than 30 cities in Germany held protests initiated by the youth advocacy organization "Gen Z regelt" (Gen Z regelt). According to statistics from the organizers, a total of about 120,000 people took to the streets to express their demands on issues such as education funding, living costs, and environmental protection.
“Generation Z Calls the shots” makes it clear that the initiative “opposes all violence”, whether against people or property. However, the initially peaceful demonstrations turned into violent riots in the evening, with violent clashes, vandalism, and looting occurring in many places. Police were attacked with rocks, bottles and "Molotov cocktails" and other items.
According to police, in the center of Frankfurt, some masked thugs smashed the windows of many stores and stole items from the stores. This includes a weapons store. The police deployed a large number of police forces, including special police units, to take action against violent groups in multiple locations. As of early Sunday morning, 30 people had been provisionally arrested. Police also deployed water cannons, armored police vehicles and helicopters. Parts of the city center were cordoned off, and the situation did not subside until early morning.
Riots also broke out around Cologne Cathedral and the central train station. According to the West German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR), after the official parade ended, some people moved to the southern city district (Südstadt) to carry out destruction. Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns expressed his distress: "Those young people who originally hoped to fight for their future through peaceful demonstrations were today infiltrated by a group of extremists who only wanted to commit violence."
In Berlin, a rally near the Brandenburg Gate attracted as many as 5,000 people and ended with little disruption. However, problems arose at another rally at Rosenthalplatz in Mitte. As many as 3,500 people attended the rally, and police reported that "multiple illegal and criminal acts" occurred, including damage to property, intentional injury, and violations of weapons laws and explosives laws.
In response to youth protests and security tasks on Halloween night, Berlin police deployed 1,500 police officers. The police reported that a total of 27 police officers were slightly injured and 56 people were arrested. Berlin police spokesman Jörn Iffländer said that although some riots did occur, the looting of stores or large-scale violent clashes that had been feared in France did not occur in Berlin.
In Leipzig, riots also broke out after the initial protests ended. Police said about 250 people were involved, setting off fireworks, damaging bus station facilities and dragging items onto the road.
Bremen police reported that some troublemakers had damaged multiple cars, set garbage bins on fire and thrown objects at police officers as early as the evening.
In Hamburg, a group of several hundred people clashed with police near the central train station. According to reports from the local police, some people threw fireworks and firecrackers at police officers on duty, and the police therefore used water cannons many times to disperse the crowd.
In the face of riots in many places, top German political circles responded quickly. Hesse Governor Boris Rhein said: "I am shocked by the excessive violence in Frankfurt. This will never go unnoticed. Those who act like the attackers have placed themselves outside our society."
CDU Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann also said she could not understand this "destructive anger directed at the country in which she lives."
Meanwhile, Generation Z Calls the Shots sought to distance itself from the violence that followed the demonstrations. A spokesperson for the organization, who uses only his first name in public, Amadeo, said that what happens after the demonstration is beyond the control of the organizers.
The organizers generally have a positive evaluation of this national youth protest and plan to participate in protests across Europe on November 20.
