Shops looted as German cost-of-living protests turn violent

Shops were looted and clashes broke out with police in several German cities on Saturday as demonstrations over the cost of living, public spending cuts and compulsory military service turned violent.

In Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub, police reported smashed shop windows, Molotov cocktails thrown at emergency services and the theft of goods from stores. A gun shop was also broken into, with two weapons seized following an arrest. Police deployed special units and used water cannon to disperse crowds, while numerous arrests were made.

Violence was also reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, where protesters targeted emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.

The demonstrations, organised by youth campaign group Gen Z regelt, had attracted thousands of participants earlier in the day. The organisers said they were calling for better funding for schools, healthcare and social services, as well as a fairer distribution of public spending. They also opposed compulsory military service.

Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported up to 18,000 demonstrators, around half the number estimated by organisers. Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said around 100 people he described as left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt protest.

Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for harsh penalties for those involved in the violence, saying police had prevented unrest on the scale recently witnessed in France.

via BBC

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