More than 200 arrested as violence erupts after Gen Z protests across Germany

BERLIN — German police arrested more than 200 people Saturday night after violent clashes erupted in several cities following largely peaceful Generation Z demonstrations demanding increased education funding and improved social policies.The unrest broke out in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin after smaller groups staged separate demonstrations, erected barricades and clashed with police.The main daytime protests, organized by the Gen Z Regelt initiative in more than 30 cities, attracted tens of thousands of young people calling for greater investment in education, measures to ease rising living costs and opposition to plans to revive compulsory military service.The demonstrations remained largely peaceful during the day, but violence erupted after dark when smaller groups gathered in other parts of several cities.Some protesters threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at officers, prompting police to deploy water cannons and specialized units in several locations.In Frankfurt, masked groups not involved in the main Gen Z demonstrations smashed shop windows and looted businesses, including a gun store.Police said the groups broke the store’s windows and stole at least two firearms before officers intervened.One suspect was arrested, and the stolen weapons were recovered, according to police.A police vehicle was also damaged, with its windows smashed and tires punctured.Authorities reported more than 30 provisional arrests and extensive property damage as disturbances continued into early Sunday.In Hamburg, violence erupted after the main demonstration ended around 5 p.m. local time Saturday, police said.Authorities took 120 people into custody after black-clad and partially masked protesters erected burning barricades near the city’s central bus station.The groups threw stones, bottles and pyrotechnics at police officers, injuring 11, according to police.Smaller fires and disturbances continued overnight in the city’s eastern districts.In Berlin, police temporarily detained up to 56 people during an evening demonstration in the Mitte district, separate from the earlier peaceful gathering at the Brandenburg Gate.Police reported that 27 officers sustained minor injuries after protesters threw stones, bottles, eggs and firecrackers.Demonstrators also blocked a tram, prompting authorities to halt the march before it reached its planned destination.In Cologne, police detained at least five people after smaller groups clashed with officers near the city’s cathedral, throwing bottles and pyrotechnics.Cologne Police Chief Johannes Hermanns condemned the violence, saying extremists had disrupted peaceful demonstrations.”It is sad that young people who wanted to demonstrate peacefully for their future were infiltrated by extremists who had nothing but violence in mind,” Hermanns said.He thanked demonstrators who remained peaceful and distanced themselves from the violence.By early Sunday, the situation had largely calmed across the affected cities, while police continued investigating the incidents and assessing property damage.