Rioters and looters marched through Frankfurt on Halloween night, breaking shop windows and stealing goods. A video circulating on social media shows a young woman standing protectively in front of an 11teamsports branch and appealing to the rioters: "Stop it! It doesn't help us, it doesn't get us anywhere! We have to show that we're not like that!"
Despite the pleading, looters can be seen entering the store through the completely smashed storefront to help themselves to the display. The woman continues to shout in vain: “The people should stop!” In the background someone shouts: “You bastards!”
After the riots and looting of shops in Frankfurt, the Hesse Trade Association has called for rapid support for injured shop owners. “The first thing to do now is to help the affected dealers quickly and limit the consequences of the damage as best as possible,” said the association in Frankfurt. It also requires careful analysis and processing. People are shocked at the level of violence, property damage and wanton rioting.
Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) promised quick and unbureaucratic help from the state government. “The disgusting violent attacks by left-wing extremists and an aggressive mob in downtown Frankfurt have some existential consequences for local retailers, businesses and medium-sized businesses,” he said. “We will not abandon those affected.” We are already in discussions with the trade association about this.
After the riots in Frankfurt, Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) announced consistent prosecution and investigation. "This group of perpetrators was predominantly migrant. And we have to deal with that too," he said in Frankfurt. “There can be no false taboos here.”
The security authorities in Hesse would focus even more on these violent young people with a migration background in the future. “I want to say very clearly: In this way we are also protecting the many people with a migrant background in our country who adhere to the law,” said Poseck.
After the riots in Frankfurt, the opposition AfD in the Hesse state parliament accused Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) of failing to prevent “French conditions”. “The violence in Frankfurt am Main is frightening and once again an urgent call for the black and red coalition to finally take a closer look at left-wing extremists and migrant violence,” said state parliamentary group leader Robert Lambrou. “It is obvious that this is also about unresolved problems with migration.”
Something had started to slip in society. “Why are young people, most of them with a migrant background, looting a weapons store in Frankfurt of all places?” asked Lambrou. His group will make violence an issue in the state parliament. There were also serious riots in France as a result of social protests.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) blames “violent left-wing groups and chaotic people from the migrant milieu” for the riots. Dobrindt told “Bild” that they hijacked the peaceful demonstrations in the afternoon. The rioters and looters have been identified and will be held responsible. “This breach of the peace must be followed by harsh punishments,” said the minister. The police's operational concept with a massive presence and decentralized forces worked, and "excesses of violence like in Paris" were prevented.
After the riots in Frankfurt, the police are still on duty in the city. Now the damage must first be assessed, which is “significant” but cannot yet be quantified, said a police spokesman. The shops that were looted during the riots on Saturday evening also need to be protected.
After the protests in Stuttgart, the state capital also announced consequences. “We cannot simply accept the significant violations of the requirements and behavior towards the police (...),” said Mayor Clemens Maier, according to the city. “This will have regulatory consequences.”
There were shocking scenes that could be observed in Frankfurt on Saturday evening. More and more videos of brutal violence are flooding the internet. The scenes published by the TikTok channel “I see it differently” from a Snipes branch in Frankfurt are particularly devastating. In the video you can see numerous people looting the sports shoe store. His statement: “This is what people who escaped from the zoo look like,” says the creator and then shouts after a looter: “What do you want to achieve with this, brother?”
After the serious nighttime riots in Frankfurt, the situation there has also calmed down, according to the police. The police remained heavily present in the city center throughout the night, a spokesman said. A part of the city center was closed on Saturday evening to stop the riots.
According to the police, at around 1 a.m. the officers arrested a group of around 100 people in order to determine their identities. It was initially not known whether there were any arrests. The police were deployed with more than 1,000 people.
Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) is “shocked by the excesses of violence” in Frankfurt. They would not go without consequences, he said. Police officers were attacked, windows were smashed and shops were looted. “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt puts themselves outside of our society,” said Rhein. “We will carefully assess the aggressors, groups of perpetrators and the course of events and draw our conclusions.”
