German youth protests turn violent as cost-of-living unrest spreads across Europe

Youth-led protests over the cost of living spread across Europe over the weekend, with a third consecutive Saturday of unrest in France and violent scenes in Germany, Albania and Portugal.

In Germany, largely peaceful demonstrations by the Gen Z Takes Charge movement turned violent after dark. Shops were looted in central Frankfurt, including a gun store, and there were violent incidents in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Police used water cannon. Officials said 100 officers were injured. ITV reported more than 50 arrests, while Channel 5 reported 54.

The French government put Saturday's nationwide turnout at 320,000, down from 410,000 a week earlier and 500,000 the weekend before. Other channels described the turnout as more than 300,000. Most marches were peaceful, but clashes in Paris and other cities led to arrests. Channel 5 reported that French authorities had arrested 779 people after the marches. BBC News bulletins put the figure at more than 700. BBC News reported that French authorities opened an attempted murder investigation after petrol bombs were thrown at police.

The unrest began as student anger over France's education system and widened into complaints about living costs, housing, public services and the climate. Authorities deployed 70,000 police and restricted the main Paris march to the eastern edge of the city. Sky News reported that police used tear gas as small groups threw rocks and fireworks.

In Germany, the protests were held in more than 30 cities against underfunding in schools, the high cost of living, spending cuts and compulsory military service. Markus Ziener, a visiting senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund, told BBC News that young Germans also worry about a pension system that asks them to pay for an ageing population.

Sky News reported that police cleared protesters from Rossio Square in Lisbon in the early hours. It said the demonstrations were against a rent bill that would end rent caps and make evictions easier, and that house prices have doubled since 2017 while rents have risen by more than two thirds since 2020. ITV reported that a police van was set alight in Tirana as missiles were thrown towards offices. Sky News reported that crowds called for the prime minister's resignation.

Channel 4 reported that a few hundred people protested in Zurich under the banner 'We've had enough' and that the movement has been inspired by youth protests in France, Hungary, Serbia, Albania, Brazil and India. It also reported that thousands gathered in Novi Sad, Serbia, in silence to honour 16 victims of a railway collapse.

Across the coverage, correspondents and analysts described a broader revolt by young people who feel the social contract has been broken. Sky News analysts Zoe Grunewald and Henry Bonsu pointed to declining living standards, broken promises and a generational divide, with ageing electorates and pension costs constraining governments. BBC correspondent James Waterhouse said the French movement had snowballed beyond specific demands, with a presidential election six months away.