Germany blames migrants and leftists as ‘Gen Z’ protests turn violent

Tens of thousands of people in Germany and France participated in demonstrations on Saturday to protest against the cost of living and deteriorating public services. While many demonstrations were initially orderly or peaceful, violence erupted later in the day. In Germany, clashes occurred in Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg. Following the violence, ministers have threatened tough penalties for looters.

In France, approximately 320,000 people took part in roughly 150 demonstrations, including a march of 70,000 people in Paris. MercoPress reports that the protests remained calm until masked groups began hurling paving stones at police in Paris, who responded with baton charges and teargas. Clashes also occurred in Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse, where water cannons were utilized.

The French interior ministry reported 565 arrests, and four police officers and one gendarme were injured in Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the level of violence as extraordinary and characterized a petrol bomb attack on a riot officer as attempted murder.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, BBC World, MercoPress — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.