French Protest Violence Eases, Scattered Riots Hit Germany

French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs resulted in less violence than previous weekends. However, police anticipate new demonstrations as high schools, central to the movement, reopen Monday after their autumn break.

Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. Across Europe, hundreds of thousands joined overwhelmingly peaceful marches Saturday, inspired by young people, despite scattered unrest.

In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march on the city’s eastern edge, injuring three officers and setting a car ablaze, according to police. Elsewhere in the city, masked groups hurled fireworks at officers near the Eiffel Tower, prompting police charges that sent tourists fleeing.

Overall, the violence was less severe than on Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and over 2,000 stores were looted in hours of unrest, or during follow-up protests on Oct. 24. Police arrested 779 people as of Saturday night, a decrease from 2,628 on Oct. 17 and 1,314 the previous weekend. Paris and Marseille police reported a handful of targeted shops but no major damage.

Authorities had prepared for a larger turnout of both peaceful marchers and troublemakers, deploying approximately 70,000 police nationwide. Student groups and labor unions have called for new nationwide protests on Tuesday and Thursday, signaling potential for continued tensions.

More than 100,000 mostly young people protested peacefully across Germany on Saturday, calling for increased government investment in education, housing, and climate protection, and demanding greater affordability in daily life. Violence erupted in some cities at night.

In Frankfurt, following a demonstration, rioters attacked police downtown and looted stores, resulting in injuries to several protesters and officers, and detaining 30 people. The situation in the city center calmed by Sunday morning after police cordoned off an area.

Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, condemned the violence, stating, "Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside our society."

Violence also occurred in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse a crowd, and in Berlin, where protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics.

The organizers of the German protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt,” distanced themselves from violence, stating they do not endorse "any form of violence, as well as violent acts by other groups or individuals" not part of their demonstrations.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community” of hijacking peaceful demonstrations, vowing that rioters and looters would be identified and held accountable.

In Portugal, riot police forcibly removed protesters from a square in Lisbon early Sunday after days of demonstrations for more affordable housing. Thousands marched during the day, and a few hundred camped in Rossio square. Police intervened, removing tents and dispersing people, with a few arrests made. Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks, inspired by a Spanish movement, to highlight rising living costs, particularly housing expenses.