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German ministers vow tough penalties after Frankfurt riots injure more than 100 police
Police special forces stand guard during a Gen Z regelt protest against education cuts and rising living costs in Frankfurt, Germany, on 31 October 2026.
Reuters
German ministers have vowed tough penalties for rioters and looters who damaged shops and injured more than 100 police officers in Frankfurt overnight, while praising security forces for preventing wider unrest.
Violence broke out late on Saturday after tens of thousands of young people had taken part in demonstrations across Germany during the day, demanding better education and lower living costs. The protests were led by the “Gen Z regelt” initiative.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck told a press conference on Sunday that hooded rioters damaged 17 shops in Frankfurt, five of which were looted. He said 1,300 officers were deployed, more than 100 were injured, and 54 people aged between 13 and 29 were arrested.
“I am shocked by what I have seen, and there is no point in sugar-coating it. Let me make this very clear: Things cannot go on like this,” Poseck said.
Frankfurt police said windows were smashed and petrol bombs were thrown at emergency services during the disturbances.
Poseck said most of those arrested were German nationals. Citing police information, he said many of those involved were of migrant background.
“Police currently estimate that they are dealing with between 1,000 and 1,500 violent troublemakers, predominantly from a migrant background,” he said.
Tough penalties promised
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the conservative Christian Social Union told the Bild newspaper that rioters and looters would be identified and held accountable, saying the “breach of the peace must be followed by tough penalties”.
He accused violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities of hijacking otherwise peaceful protests, but did not give details.
He also said the police approach of maintaining a large presence across multiple locations had worked, preventing “excesses of violence like those in Paris”.
In Berlin, police said 27 officers were lightly injured and up to 56 people were temporarily detained.
The German protests were widely reported as inspired by similar youth-led demonstrations in France, where protests continued largely peacefully this weekend following riots and looting on 17 October that damaged shops, public buildings and businesses.
Read more:
- Why are Gen Z protesters taking to Germany's streets?
- 135 arrested as 35,000 gather for second nationwide protests in France
- France to mobilise 70,000 security forces ahead of Saturday protest
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