Germany in shock: the unusual protest turned into a night of extreme looting

Tens of thousands of young people demonstrated yesterday across Germany protesting the cost of living and the education system. In Frankfurt, the protest turned into a night of looting and violent clashes with police, including a break-in at a gun shop. Police arrested 30 people.

Tens of thousands of young people took to the streets yesterday (Saturday) in more than 30 cities across Germany to protest the cost of living, the state of the education system, and the possibility of reinstating compulsory military service. In the evening, some protest hubs turned into scenes of severe violence, looting, and clashes with police. The most serious hotspot was in Frankfurt, where police were forced to deploy over a thousand officers and use water cannons and pepper spray. The shopping street Zeil was closed after shops were broken into and looted, including two shoe stores. A particularly alarming incident was a break-in at a gun shop, from which two firearms were taken and later recovered. Clashes were also reported in Cologne, Stuttgart, and Hamburg. The interior minister of Hesse, Roman Poseck, claimed that far-left elements had infiltrated the protests. The article notes that some of the rioters wore Palestinian flags.