After Gen Z rules protest: riots in Frankfurt am Main

dpa/taz | As if out of their minds, the young men kick and hit the shop windows. Glass shatters, excited voices echo through the night. One uses a torn-out traffic sign to destroy the window, another uses a paving stone.

There are shocking scenes that can be observed in Frankfurt on Saturday evening. Scenes of brutal violence and looting. When the window of a shop was broken, several of the men, dressed in dark clothing and some of them masked, broke into the shop. They grab sneakers and other things they can quickly grab, then quickly disappear back into the darkness. They also attacked a gun shop - the police later seized two weapons.

Elsewhere in downtown Frankfurt, barriers for construction sites lie on the street, rioters set fire to garbage, firecrackers fly against a police water cannon as they laboriously try to get the situation back under control. Finally, the officials quickly cordoned off Zeil, one of the busiest shopping streets in Germany, to ensure peace and quiet. The special operations command (SEK) is also alerted.

It had been discussed for a long time in Germany whether conditions like those recently in France were also conceivable here. There were serious riots on the sidelines of social protests, shops were looted, and there was horror at how the violence could erupt in this way.

And now these pictures from Frankfurt. The big question is: How did this happen? And what do the rioters have to do with the previous demonstration by young people who actually wanted to draw attention to social injustices?

Everything had started so peacefully. Hundreds of young people - mostly schoolchildren and students - gathered at the Weseler Werft on the banks of the Main. They cared about education, social justice, peace. In addition to “Gen Z regulates,” other groups joined in and promoted their concerns on stage. Colorful costumes and homemade posters dominated the picture.

In Frankfurt, the number of participants reached 10,000, as expected by the initiative. Shouts of “Siamo tutti antifascisti!” rang out in the financial district. The mood in Frankfurt am Main became heated around 6 p.m. The police attacked demonstrators, allegedly because of pyrotechnics. Then firecrackers flew at the police, who used violence. At least two demonstrators were injured in the evening, including a head injury.

As darkness falls, the mood becomes more aggressive. “The whole of Frankfurt hates the police” and “revolution” are now chanted. Skull flags and “Antifascist Action” flags can be seen. A water cannon and a police armored vehicle drive up.

At an intersection, the police are trying to separate the groups: the peaceful demonstrators should move on, the rioters should be separated. When that doesn't work, the demo is ended prematurely because of the "unpeaceful course". Most pupils and students have already left by this point - or are leaving now at the latest.

But for the police, things only really begin after the demo is broken up. The first confrontation takes place at the Konstablerwache in the middle of the city center. Police officers with helmets and aggressive groups face each other. Numerous onlookers stream in. Corona masks, Halloween costumes and pulled-up scarves can be seen - in between shoppers and passers-by on the Zeil.

Overall, the events this evening are diffuse and confusing. By late evening, more than 30 people had been temporarily arrested. And the shock is great. Also in politics.

A spokesman for the “Gen Z Regulates” initiative said: “We had no influence on what happened after the rallies ended.” The initiative published a statement on Instagram on Saturday evening in which it distanced itself from “any form of violence as well as violent actions by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the demonstrations. "We stand for peaceful protest, democratic values ​​and the right to freely express our opinions. Violence has never been and is never part of our movement."

In three weeks, the initiative wants to mobilize crowds nationwide again. She described Saturday's demonstrations as just a first step. “We want to take part in the Europe-wide protests on November 20th,” said the spokesman for the press team, who only wants to appear publicly under his first name Amadeo, to the German Press Agency.