Rioters looted shops on Frankfurt's main shopping street late on Saturday after largely peaceful cost-of-living marches across Germany turned violent.
The big picture: Thousands marched in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Frankfurt behind Gen Z regelt, which translates as Gen Z takes charge, demanding more money for schools and health care and an end to compulsory military service.
By the numbers: Authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin counted as many as 18,000 protesters, roughly half the number organizers had estimated on their website.
- Berlin police reported 27 officers injured and up to 56 people briefly detained, and public broadcaster NDR said 120 people were arrested in Hamburg.
Zoom in: Frankfurt police said special units deployed against "violent riots" in the city center, that shop windows were smashed and molotov cocktails thrown at emergency services, and that two weapons were seized after a break-in at a gun shop.
What they're saying: Hesse state interior minister Roman Poseck said about 100 "clearly identified left-wing extremists" had infiltrated the Frankfurt march, and he called the way it ended shameful.
- Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said the group wants "better support for the health and education systems" and a fairer distribution of the burden.
The other side: Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild that officers had prevented "violence like that seen in Paris" and called for harsh punishments for rioters and looters.
What's next: France suspended one type of stun grenade in early October after a 15-year-old's hand was blown off, and French prosecutors opened an attempted murder inquiry after an officer was hurt by a molotov cocktail.
Why it matters: More than 320,000 people marched in France the same day, with over 770 arrests, and similar youth protests have now hit Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Albania.
