Merz vows ‘full force of law’ against rioters after youth-led protests

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is advocating for a strong legal response against those involved in violent incidents during recent youth protests across various German cities. The peaceful demonstrations, primarily advocating for improved education funding and living costs, turned violent in places like Frankfurt and Cologne, particularly targeting police officers, emergency services, and businesses.

Merz stated in a forthcoming speech to his conservative Christian Democratic Union party representatives that "violence has no place on our streets" and that those responsible will face "the full force of the law." His coalition partners, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Education Minister Karin Prien, have accused certain groups of instigating the unrest, primarily "violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities," though Prien clarified that the focus should not be solely on migrant backgrounds.

Despite Dobrindt's and Poseck's claims linking the violence to migrants, other coalition members, like Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, from the Social Democrats, criticized such rhetoric, stating it leads to false assumptions and stirs hostility.