Krawalle in Frankfurt: Ausschreitungen nach Demos: „Schockiert über Gewaltexzesse“

In Frankfurt, Germany, rioting erupted following demonstrations on Saturday night. Police presence remained strong throughout the night, according to a spokesperson. The disturbances followed a demonstration where rioters attacked police officers and looted shops in the city center. Several people were injured, and over 30 individuals were taken into custody by the police.

Even the Special Forces unit (SEK) was deployed. After the police cordoned off an area in the city center, the situation calmed down early Sunday morning. The protests had initially been largely peaceful, involving thousands of young people. However, the violence primarily took place in Frankfurt and Cologne on Saturday night. In Berlin, there were instances of bottle and Molotov attacks.

Some cities used water cannons. The "Gen Z Regulates" initiative called for peaceful protests across more than 30 cities, demanding increased funding for schools, social justice, measures against rising living costs, and greater climate protection. Hessens Ministerpräsident Boris Rhein (CDU) expressed shock at the violence in Frankfurt, stating that those behaving like the attackers would be held outside the society.

His Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) announced a stern approach to dealing with the rioters, accusing them of a "devastating combination of far-left extremists and violent young people." CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann criticized the disturbances, saying it was sad that peaceful protest was becoming almost impossible.

"A clear goal for the demonstrations remained questionable until the very end - for some, the perfect camouflage for violence and disturbances, which undoubtedly rejected by the majority of participants, was enough to create this destructive fury against the country they live in, I cannot understand it." The "Gen Z Regulates" spokesperson stated that what happened after the end of the demonstrations was beyond their control.

They distanced themselves from any form of violence and violent actions by other groups or individuals, emphasizing their support for peaceful protest, democratic values, and the right to express opinions freely. The next protest is planned in three weeks, with the initiative inviting people to participate in a European-wide youth strike day on November 20th.

They described the demonstrations on Saturday as just the first step, with the aim of joining the protests across Europe that day. The initiative called for an extensive coalition to join the International Youth Strike Day, including the Bundesschülerkonferenz, which had distanced itself from the "Gen Z Regulates" protests earlier due to unclear organizational structures, as noted by Amy Kirchhoff, the Bundesschülerkonferenz's General Secretary.