Riots loot stores in Frankfurt as European youths protest living costs and military service

Rioters looted stores and set fires to barricades in Frankfurt on Saturday as protests across Germany demanded lower living costs and better education.

Tens of thousands of people across more than 30 cities took to the streets, including in the capital Berlin and financial hub Frankfurt, in protests organized by the campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge).

The activists demand spending on schools, climate protection and housing, and are against plans to return to mandatory military service.

But the largely peaceful protests, which coincided with Halloween and came weeks after some of the worst rioting in decades erupted in neighboring France, turned violent in some areas.

“In ⁠the city centre, windows have been smashed at several shops,” Frankfurt police said on X. “Molotov cocktails are also being thrown at the emergency services. We urge all bystanders to avoid the ​city center or to leave the area.”

In Hamburg, some barricades were set on fire. Some businesses had boarded up their windows and doors in preparation for the protests.

“We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion,” Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina ​Friedrich said in Berlin on Saturday. “What matters…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business