German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for firm action against people involved in riots following weekend youth protests, saying violence had no place on the country’s streets. In a speech manuscript prepared for a conference of CDU district leaders, Merz said his government would show no tolerance toward attacks on police and emergency workers, according to dpa and Der Spiegel.
Merz said those who attacked officers or looted shops were harming freedom and undermining the legitimate concerns of young people. He thanked the police for their response and stressed that most young demonstrators had protested peacefully.
The chancellor said the weekend also showed that Germany’s younger generation was politically engaged and concerned about its future. He linked this to government plans for pension reform, national security and preparing the economy for digital change. Merz acknowledged shortcomings in housing and education, saying households needed relief so that Germany’s states could invest more in schools. Education Minister Karin Prien was expected to continue discussions with young people.
Tens of thousands of young people took part in predominantly peaceful demonstrations. Violence followed in several cities. In Frankfurt, stones and incendiary devices were thrown, shop windows were destroyed and stores were looted. More than 100 police officers were injured. Clashes also occurred in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin, although they were less severe than in Frankfurt.
The violence has triggered a dispute over who was primarily responsible. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt blamed, among others, what he described as migrant milieus, while Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned against premature conclusions or focusing on migrants. Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck sharply criticised Pistorius, saying that people with migrant backgrounds had been visibly involved in violent attacks in Frankfurt, while also stressing that most people with such backgrounds were peaceful and law-abiding.
Andreas Roßkopf, chairman of the German Police Union, likewise told Bild that the perpetrators could be assigned to left-wing extremist and migrant milieus. Police also considered it possible that some individual cases of property damage were unrelated to the protests and may have been caused by people attending Halloween celebrations.
Sources: Der Spiegel.