German officials are promising heavy penalties after shops were looted and police attacked during youth-led cost-of-living protests.
German government officials have promised tough punishment for people who looted shops and attacked police in Frankfurt over the weekend, after a protest over education and the cost of living turned violent.
More than 100 police officers were injured in the disturbances, and 54 people between the ages of 13 and 29 were arrested.
What happened
The trouble broke out on Saturday night in Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital. It followed demonstrations held the same day in dozens of German cities, where tens of thousands of people marched to demand better education and relief from high living costs.
The protests were organised by a campaign group called "Gen Z regelt", which translates roughly as "Gen Z takes charge".
Most cities stayed calm. Frankfurt did not. Roman Poseck, the Interior Minister of the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, told a press conference on Sunday that 17 stores were damaged and five of them were looted. Police deployed 1,300 officers to the scene.
Frankfurt police said shop windows were smashed, and that petrol bombs, stones and bottles were thrown at emergency workers.
"Things cannot go on like this," Poseck said, adding that he was shocked by what he had seen.
The political response
Germany's federal Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), said those responsible would be traced and prosecuted. "I expect there to be severe penalties," he told reporters, as reported by Ghanaian Times.
Both ministers linked the violence to people of immigrant background. Poseck said police estimate they were dealing with between 1,000 and 1,500 violent troublemakers, whom he described as mainly from an immigrant background, while also noting that most of those arrested were German citizens.
Dobrindt went further and accused troublemakers from the immigrant community of acting together with far-left extremists. He did not provide evidence for that claim and did not name any of the groups he was referring to.
Dobrindt also said Germany tightened its border controls ahead of the protests, out of concern that extremist groups from outside the country might use the demonstrations as cover.
Wider picture
Germany is not alone. In France, protests entered a third weekend, and these were largely peaceful. That followed serious rioting and looting on 17 October, which damaged shops, public buildings and businesses.
Why Ghanaians should take note
Germany hosts a sizeable Ghanaian and wider African diaspora, and the way senior officials have framed the violence around immigrant background is likely to shape the political debate there in the coming weeks. For Ghanaians living in or planning to travel to Germany, tighter border checks and a heavier police presence in major cities are the immediate practical effects.
No court cases have been reported yet. The next step will be the prosecution of those arrested.
