Shops looted as German cost of living protests turn violent
Youth-led protests across Germany over the cost of living turned violent in Frankfurt on Saturday night, with shops looted and emergency workers attacked.
Tens of thousands of people marched across Germany on Saturday in youth-led protests over the rising cost of living, cuts to schools and public services, and military service. The daytime demonstrations were largely peaceful.
After dark, the mood changed in Frankfurt. Rioters looted shops in the city centre, smashed windows and threw fireworks and petrol bombs at emergency workers. Police closed a large part of the main shopping street and made many arrests.
Violence was also reported in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, where police used water cannon to disperse crowds targeting emergency workers with stones, fireworks and bottles.
Officials in Hesse state said a small group of extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt protest and hijacked a peaceful demonstration. The protests came on the same day hundreds of thousands demonstrated in France over similar cost-of-living concerns.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.