Masked rioters loot a gun store and shops in Frankfurt as Germany's Gen Z cost-of-living protests turn violent
Crowds on the streets of Frankfurt on Saturday night, as around 100 rioters — some in Halloween costumes — smashed open storefronts and attacked emergency workers with Molotov cocktails amid a Gen Z cost-of-living protest that drew an estimated 8,000 demonstrators at its peak.A post shared by @NewsFokus on X showing scenes from Frankfurt am Main under the #GenZRegelt hashtag, as France separately banned Halloween masks ahead of fresh protests.Riot police on the streets of Paris. France banned Halloween masks and deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide amid warnings of "a very high risk of public disorder.Fires and smoke at Porte de Charenton, Paris, as a French officer was treated for severe burns after a Molotov cocktail struck him — an attack France's interior minister described as attempted murder.
Frankfurt's financial district descended into chaos on Halloween night as Gen Z regelt protesters, joined by an estimated 100 left-wing extremist infiltrators, attacked police with Molotov cocktails, stones, fireworks and bottles. Interior Minister for Hesse Roman Poseck confirmed several officers were injured, with one suffering more serious wounds. Looters smashed open a gun store and stole weapons before police arrested a suspect and retrieved them. Water cannons and tear gas were deployed as Frankfurt police urged civilians to LEAVE the city centre entirely.
The unrest is the latest in a continent-wide wave: France saw 320,000 march on the same night, with one officer's leg set on fire in a Molotov attack Paris's interior minister called 'attempted murder'.
Gen Z regelt, which organised protests in 34 German cities, says it opposes military conscription and demands more investment in education and public services.
In Berlin, 27 officers were injured and 56 arrested as protesters blocked tram lines and occupied roads late into Halloween night.
