The violence in Frankfurt following last weekend's "Generation Z" protests continues to spark discussions at the political level.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said in an interview with the online edition of Bild newspaper on Sunday: "Left-wing violent groups and troublemakers with immigrant backgrounds hijacked a peaceful demonstration earlier in the day. We will identify these thugs and looters and hold them legally responsible. Such violations of social peace must be severely punished."
German Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) believes that these incidents also raise the question of how social integration can be achieved more successfully. In an interview with Deutsche Radio (Deutschlandfunk), she mentioned that far-left groups and "people who may have an immigrant background" were involved in "excessive acts of violence". She emphasized that this was not about inciting resentment, but rather exploring why someone would resort to such tactics. "If they do have an immigrant background, then we have to pay attention and we have to look at the underlying reasons," said Karin Prien. She noted that a key question is why some groups are less socially integrated than others. The minister made it clear that she did not support all the demands raised by Generation Z, such as on the issue of military service, but she advocated dialogue and, in particular, listening to the voices of young people not involved in violence.
Boris Rhein (CDU), governor of the state of Hesse where Frankfurt is located, was shocked by the violence in Frankfurt. Hessian Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) said there were two categories of perpetrators of the Frankfurt riots, first left-wing extremists and later joined by "young people with immigrant backgrounds." He said in the briefing that those arrested were between the ages of 13 and 29, and "the vast majority of them are German citizens." Posek also pointed out: "We have reason to believe that only a very small number of the perpetrators are from Frankfurt itself; many people came from surrounding areas, and some came from further away. The vast majority of these people have immigrant backgrounds."
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Social Democratic Party) disagrees with the interpretation of politicians from the Alliance Party (CDU/CSU). In an interview with German television channel ZDF, he asked rhetorically: "What exactly do the so-called 'immigrant groups' refer to? Do they refer to those who have lived in Germany for three generations and are German citizens? When will we stop making this distinction? I think this will lead in the wrong direction."
"It is sad and deeply disturbing that young people who meant to demonstrate peacefully for their future were today infiltrated by extremists bent on causing violence," said Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns.
The SPD Bundestag group has called for a national education summit. Schmidt, vice chairman of the caucus, pointed out that the right to a good education and vocational training is one of the core demands of this demonstration. She advocated for Germany to launch an education summit involving federal, state and local governments.
Rioters hurled Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at security forces and smashed the windows of several shops, including a gun shop, during unrest in Frankfurt on Saturday night. Security forces used water cannons, armored vehicles, helicopters and drones. A large number of people were temporarily detained. More than 100 police officers were injured in the clashes. Violence also occurred in other German cities including Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. German Interior Minister Dobrindt praised the performance of the security forces. He said: "Thanks to our dedicated police officers, serious situations of out-of-control violence such as those in Paris have been avoided. The police's operational strategy of maintaining a large police presence and dispersed deployment has proved successful."
A spokesman for the "Gen Z regelt" initiative, which had previously called for peaceful demonstrations in more than 30 cities in Germany, said that we had no influence on what happened after the rally. In a post on Instagram, the group clearly dissociated itself from "violence of any kind, as well as acts of violence committed by other groups or individuals who are not participants in the demonstrations." "We stand for peaceful protest, democratic values, and the right to express opinions freely. Violence has never been and will never be part of our movement," the statement read.
The demands put forward by the Gen Z Call the Charges advocacy group include increased school funding, promotion of social justice, measures to combat the rising cost of living, and greater climate protection. This loose alliance of young people is mainly coordinated through social media. Its specific organizational structure and participants are still unclear. A man named Akram Selo is listed as the operator of the "Gen Z Calls the Shots" website, a major platform for the protests. The person claimed to be an 18-year-old high school student and his registered address was in Switzerland. In an interview with Stern, he said that behind this initiative is a group of "young people who want to make changes" and are connected through TikTok. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Sello said that he was preparing to take the German high school graduation exam. The current organizing team consists of five people, three of whom chose to remain anonymous. They live in different cities and not all members know each other. Interviews with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung revealed that he feared for his personal safety.
The advocacy organization plans to mobilize large-scale crowds across the country again within three weeks, and on the "Generation Z Calls the Shots" website calls on people to participate in Europe-wide protests in 34 German cities on November 20 for education, health, climate protection, and affordable living.
A broad coalition has called on people to take part in the International Youth Strike on November 20. The coalition members include the Federal Students' Congress (BSK), which has previously distanced itself from the Gen Z regelt initiative.
