Photo: Nir Himi / Unsplash (archive photo)
German authorities have put the toll from Saturday’s unrest in Frankfurt at more than 100 injured police officers, 17 damaged shops and 54 arrests, while French officials said violence surrounding their own weekend demonstrations was less severe than in previous weeks.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck gave the Frankfurt figures at a Sunday news conference, according to a Reuters report carried by Australia’s ABC. Five of the 17 damaged stores were looted, he said. The figures concern the weekend disturbances, not a new outbreak reported Monday.
The protests followed calls for better education and lower living costs. Many demonstrations across Germany remained peaceful, with violence developing in some places afterward.
Frankfurt became a flashpoint
Poseck said 1,300 officers were deployed and that those arrested were aged between 13 and 29. Frankfurt police reported smashed windows and petrol bombs, rocks and bottles thrown at emergency services, Reuters reported.
An Associated Press account published Sunday morning said the city centre had calmed by early Sunday after police cordoned off an area.
The youth initiative Gen Z regelt, which organised the nationwide demonstrations, distanced itself from violence and from acts by other groups or individuals outside its demonstrations, AP reported. The peaceful marches and the later disturbances should not be treated as identical events.
Scattered clashes were also reported in Cologne and Berlin. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said those responsible for violence and looting would be identified and held accountable.
French authorities prepare for further protests
French officials expressed relief Sunday that Saturday’s violence was less serious than during the previous two weekends, according to AP. Officers in Paris nevertheless faced Molotov cocktails, fireworks and other disturbances; three officers were injured near the end of a march on the city’s eastern edge, police said.
Police had arrested 779 people across France as of Saturday night, compared with 2,628 on October 17 and 1,314 the following weekend, AP reported. Paris and Marseille police said a handful of shops were targeted but no major damage was reported.
A national police official told AP that about 70,000 officers had been deployed and that authorities were preparing for renewed tensions ahead of the planned Monday reopening of high schools after the autumn break. Student groups and labour unions had called for further nationwide protests Tuesday and Thursday.
JBizNews Desk | Frankfurt
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