Clashes over the cost of living erupted in the center of Germany's financial capital Frankfurt, with rioters ransacking shops.
The conflict occurred late on Saturday (October 31). In addition to Frankfurt, violence also occurred in the capital Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Police said they used water cannon to disperse demonstrators who attacked emergency workers with fireworks, rocks and bottles.
Earlier in the day, thousands of people took part in largely peaceful demonstrations. The demonstrations, organized by the advocacy group Gen Z regelt - meaning "Gen Z takes over" - protested against underfunded schools, high living costs, public spending cuts and the military conscription system.
The unrest in Germany follows the outbreak of large-scale protests led by young people in France; more than 320,000 people participated in demonstrations in France on Saturday.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in an interview with Bild newspaper on Sunday (November 1) that police prevented "the kind of violence seen in Paris in recent weeks" at night and called for "severe punishment" for those involved in rioting and looting.
Police cordoned off much of Frankfurt's main shopping street overnight. A police spokesman said a number of people had been arrested locally.
Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin said the maximum number of demonstrators was about 18,000, about half of the number estimated on the organizer's website. German media said tens of thousands of people participated in protests in cities across the country on Saturday.
Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the demonstrations were "a fight for peace and freedom, not for war and coercion."
"The most important thing for us is to provide better support for the health care and education systems. We oppose forced military service and support more equitable burden sharing," she said.
Frankfurt police said late Saturday that "violent disturbances" were taking place in the city center and that a special police unit had been deployed.
Police said several shop windows were smashed and petrol bombs were thrown at emergency workers.
Officials said a gun store's windows were smashed and they seized two weapons after arresting a suspect. Others broke into other stores and stole sneakers and other items.
Hesse interior minister Roman Poseck said about 100 "identified far-left extremists" had infiltrated protests in the city. He added that it was "shameful" that the protest ended in this way.
"We all have those images in our minds from France: looting, burning houses, burning police cars, attacks on police officers... France should not be seen as a role model in this regard," Posek said.
Police said the situation in the city gradually calmed down early Sunday morning.
Similar situations occurred in other German cities, and earlier demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
Cologne police said officers were attacked near the central train station, bottles were thrown, and a bicycle was thrown at police.
"It is deeply saddening that young people who wanted to demonstrate peacefully for their future were today infiltrated by extremists who had no purpose other than violence," said Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns.
Berlin police said that a smaller demonstration in the evening - which had been preceded by a larger protest during the day - resulted in 27 police officers being injured and up to 56 people being temporarily detained.
In Hamburg, people dressed in black set off fireworks and burned barricades; public broadcaster NDR reported that 120 people were arrested.
The protests in Germany took place on the same day as mass demonstrations elsewhere in Europe.
In France, more than 320,000 people took part in generally peaceful demonstrations in cities across the country for the third consecutive weekend, demanding government action on the high cost of living and inadequate public services, especially in education.
Thousands of police officers were deployed across the country to respond to the demonstrations, and in some cities police fired tear gas at demonstrators.
More than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Toulouse, Lyon and Marseille.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said a police officer was injured by a petrol bomb, and French prosecutors later opened an investigation on charges of attempted murder.
Paris police said hundreds of rioters attacked security forces with projectiles.
French protest organizer "Gilet Jaune" (Yellow Vest) said that dozens of demonstrators have been seriously injured in recent demonstrations across the country, many of whom were injured by "grenade".
In early October this year, France suspended the use of shock bombs in handling student demonstrations after a 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off.
Protests also broke out in Italy, with some clashes between police and demonstrators in Rome and Turin.
In Lisbon, Portugal, police cleared a newly erected tent camp. Thousands of people marched against a rental bill they say could exacerbate the local housing crisis. House prices in Portugal have more than doubled over the past decade.
