Protests in Germany turn violent as tens of thousands march on streets

Officials in Germany are vowing to crack down on violent protesters after demonstrations turned to scenes of looting.

The city of Frankfurt in the country’s central-west, where police deployed water cannon during the street violence, has become the latest flashpoint in Europe-wide protests.

More than 50 people in the city, largely aged between 13 and 30, were arrested and more than 100 police officers were injured when peaceful rallies turned violent and demonstrators started attacking shops.

Authorities said 17 stores were damaged and five of those were looted. After police cordoned off an area in the city centre, the situation calmed down by early Sunday.

The Interior Minister for the state of Hesse, which includes Frankfurt, Roman Poseck warned that “around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists” infiltrated and hijacked the city’s protest.

“It is shameful how this event here in Frankfurt has ended,” he said.

The governor of Hesse, Boris Rhein, pledged to bring to justice those behind the violence.

“I am shocked by the violent excesses in Frankfurt, which will not go unpunished,” he said.

 “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside our society.″⁣

More than 100,000 mostly young people protested peacefully across Germany on Saturday, demanding that the government invest more money in education, housing, climate protection and make daily life more affordable.

The organisers of the protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” - roughly “Gen Z’s got this” - posted a statement on Instagram distancing itself from “any form of violence, as well as violent acts by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the demonstrations.

Protesters in France and Portugal also clashed with police during last weekend as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets.

Protesters have clashed with police in Paris for the third week in a row, with Molotov cocktails being thrown at officers with shields.

In Portugal, riot police overnight removed protesters by force from a square in Lisbon following protests for more affordable housing.

- With Associated Press, CNN