WATCH Rioters ransack shops as Gen Z protests rock Germany

Multiple shops were looted in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial capital, on Saturday night as nationwide protests under the slogan “Gen Z takes charge” descended into violence.

Although organizers urged demonstrators to remain peaceful during protests against the rising cost of living and in support of greater social spending, groups of rioters pelted police with stones, bottles and pyrotechnics.

Videos from the scene show rioters rampaging through the streets, smashing windows and ransacking stores. 

Rioters also broke into a gun shop and stole weapons, two of which were later recovered by police.

More than 30 people were detained after police deployed tactical units, water cannons and armored vehicles in the city center.

Boris Rhein, minister-president of the German state of Hesse, said he was “shocked by the excessive violence in Frankfurt, which will not go without consequences.”

Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck described the unrest as “a disastrous combination of left-wing extremists and violent young people unleashing their aggression.” He claimed that around 100 people motivated by “left-wing” extremism had infiltrated an initially peaceful demonstration and attacked police.

Violent clashes and disturbances were also reported in other major German cities, including Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin and Stuttgart, where rioters attacked police, set fires and damaged property.

The unrest in Germany coincided with violent protests in France and Switzerland on Halloween night, amid a broader wave of demonstrations over economic grievances across Europe.

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