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.
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 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.”
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.”
The Prime Minister thanked the police officers. They opposed the violent criminals “with all their strength and with great personal commitment” in order to protect citizens, law and order.
The first assessment of the Berlin police after riots as part of the youth protests of the nationwide initiative “GenZ regulates”: According to the police, 27 officers were slightly injured. A police spokesman said late on Saturday evening that “numerous crimes” had occurred at a meeting with up to 3,500 participants that began at Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin-Mitte. These include damage to property, bodily harm and violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act.
27 police officers were slightly injured but were able to continue their duties. 56 people were arrested. The police were on duty in Berlin with 1,500 officers - also with a view to Halloween night.
Window panes of several shops in downtown Frankfurt am Main were smashed during riots. There was also a gun shop, as the police announced on Saturday evening. A suspect was arrested and two weapons were seized. The weapons in the shop would be secured by emergency services. At around 10 p.m., the police announced that they had closed part of the Zeil shopping street “due to the violent riots.”
Bystanders could still leave the street, but entry was no longer possible, the police continued. She had also previously reported that Molotov cocktails had been thrown at officers.
Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) said in a video statement around 6:30 p.m. that "unfortunately the danger that we warned about had materialized" in Frankfurt. “There were about a hundred violent left-wing extremists mixed in with the gathering,” Poseck continued. There were massive attacks on police officers. “It is shameful how this event ended here in Frankfurt.”
Several people were arrested after rioters attacked a weapons shop in downtown Frankfurt. A police spokesman said this in the evening. Officials were quickly on site and seized two weapons. He did not say what kind of weapons they were.
The Frankfurt police have cordoned off the Zeil shopping street in downtown Frankfurt due to violent riots and looting. "All uninvolved people who are still on the Zeil can leave the Zeil. From now on, access to the Zeil is no longer possible," said the police. Rioters had previously broken the windows of several stores and there was looting.
There were chaotic scenes and tumults on the line between the main guard and the constable guard. The Zeil is one of the most visited shopping streets in Germany and is more than a kilometer long in total.
