Police use pepper spray as violence erupts at Hamburg protest

Hamburg police faced a violent protest on Saturday against mandatory military service, as reported by the German Press Agency (dpa). Riot police used force on some demonstrators when fireworks and construction barriers were hurled at them, according to the police via their WhatsApp channel. Black-clad protesters, some with their faces covered, dismantled red-and-white plastic roadwork barriers near Hamburg's central railway station.

Several barriers were later set ablaze near an underground station. Police responded by dispersing the crowd, including the use of pepper spray. The fire was eventually doused using a water cannon. The demonstration saw an estimated several thousand participants, with an organizer placing the turnout between 6,000 and 7,000. Police had prepared a large-scale security operation, deploying drones and keeping water cannon ready, in anticipation of youth protests across Germany.

The initiative "Gen Z regelt" (Gen Z takes charge) called for demonstrations nationwide, covering issues such as school funding, climate action, rising living costs, and opposition to compulsory military service.