Looting, petrol bombs, fireworks: Protests sweep France, Germany as demonstrations hit Halloween weekend throughout Europe

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Scores of people took to the streets in France and Germany as Europe witnessed yet another week of protests. France saw its third consecutive weekend of demonstrations, while those in Germany turned violent, with protesters looting stores and hurling petrol bombs at authorities.

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France sees clashes, hundreds of arrests

The demonstrations in France began last month with high school students protesting teacher shortages, neglected buildings, and the university admissions system. However, the agitation expanded when labor unions and others joined in with several other demands.

Protesters in France took to the streets on Saturday in a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over education and living costs, The Associated Press reported.

The French government estimated that 3,20,000 protesters took part nationwide on Saturday, down from 5,50,000 on October 17 and 4,10,000 on October 24, the report stated. However, organisers are said to have reported higher figures. Their estimates could not be known at the time of publishing.

According to the French authorities, over 560 were arrested nationwide by Saturday night, APadded.

Protesters use makeshift shields during a demonstration organised by labour unions as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in Paris, on October 31, 2026. — Protesters use makeshift shields during a demonstration organised by labour unions as part of nationwide protests called by the “Yellow Vests” movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in Paris, on October 31, 2026.

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Grievances of protesters in France

In Paris, each demonstrating group had its own banner. The groups included: high school students, climate activists and people protesting about the cost of living.

What the people on the ground said

A student, Corentin Cabreux, 21, said that he lives in a state-run student residence where “there are damp stains all along the bottom of my walls, whole sections peeling off, cockroaches everywhere, rats,” the APreport added.

Meanwhile, an IT worker protested in solidarity with the students and her mother, who was struggling with a minimum wage job. A woman with gray hair carried a sign that read: “The Old are Fed Up Too,” it added.

Police officers at the Trocadero Esplanade, with the Eiffel Tower standing in the background, as people take part in a demonstration organised by labour unions as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in Paris on October 31, 2026. — Police officers at the Trocadero Esplanade, with the Eiffel Tower standing in the background, as people take part in a demonstration organised by labour unions as part of nationwide protests called by the “Yellow Vests” movement, joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in Paris on October 31, 2026.

Also Read |German police, protesters clash after ‘Gen Z’ demos

German ‘Gen Z’ protests turn violent in Frankfurt

Masked rioters reportedly looted stores in Frankfurt on Saturday after thousands of protesters took to the streets in Germany, demanding lower living costs and better education.

The protests in Germany were organised by the campaign group “Gen Z regelt” (“Gen Z takes charge” in German). It took place across 34 cities in the country, including Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, according to a Reutersreport.

The group voiced its opposition to compulsory military service and demanded more investment in education as many young Germans face rising costs, the report added.

Rioters in Germany loot shops

Hooded rioters looted shops in the German city of Frankfurt on Saturday amid demonstrations. Several police officers were injured in the violence after thousands joined youth-led protests across the country, AFPreported.

In Frankfurt, demonstrators clashed with police, throwing stones, fireworks, and petrol bombs. Meanwhile, police deployed water cannons and pepper spray as several stores, including a gun store, were looted and damaged.

According to the police, a suspect was arrested, and two weapons were seized.

“In the city center area, windows of several shops have been smashed. Additionally, Molotov cocktails were also being thrown at emergency forces. We urge all uninvolved individuals to avoid or leave the city center area,” Frankfurt police said on X.

Barricades were set on fire in Hamburg, while scuffles also broke out in Berlin and Cologne.

According to Reuters, police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported around 18,000 protesters, half of the roughly 36,000 on the organisers’ website.

A police officer falls down during a nationwide protest by the campaign group Gen Z regelt in Frankfurt, Germany, on October 31, 2026.

What the people said

Lina Friedrich, Gen Z regelt spokesperson, said in Berlin on Saturday, “We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion.”

“What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service, and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden,” Reuters further quoted Friedrich as saying.

People loot a store during a nationwide protest by the campaign group Gen Z regelt in Frankfurt, Germany, on October 31, 2026.

Protests in Portugal and Netherlands

Discontent also surfaced elsewhere in Europe, centered around the housing crisis and a better future.

Portugal protests:

In Lisbon, demonstrators protested against Portugal’s housing crisis, holding up placards reading “Houses or Fire” and “We are not Afraid.”

Housing protesters returned to one of Lisbon’s main squares on Saturday, stepping up pressure on the government to scrap a rental bill. Portugal is experiencing one of Europe’s worst housing crises, with younger demographics bearing the brunt. House prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled, Reuters reported.

The protesters are demanding the government scrap a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases. However, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday ruled out scrapping the bill but said he was open to amending it ahead of a final vote in the following weeks, the report added.

Portuguese housing activists take part in a protest in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 31, 2026.

Netherlands protests:

In The Hague, heavy police forces were present in and around the downtown shopping area on Saturday afternoon. This came following online appeals for protests and fears of looting and rioting.

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