Masked rioters loot Frankfurt shops after peaceful youth protests
Get European news in your inbox daily
A short daily digest of the whole continent — or just the countries you care about.
Check your email. We've sent a confirmation link — click it to complete your subscription.
A night that began with peaceful Gen Z-led demonstrations ended in looting and attacks on police in several cities, with Frankfurt seeing the worst of the damage. The state governor of Hesse has promised consequences for the violence; the organizers, who had intended to show their generation's resolve, have been left to express their disappointment that the morning's news cycle is focused elsewhere.
The military command and the education system are offering their own reasons for pessimism. The head of the Bundeswehr warns that a Russian attack on NATO is now a very realistic prospect as he urges the country toward war readiness, while an investigation into schools suggests that Nazi symbols and racist slurs are being routinely ignored by staff. Combined with unusually low gas storage levels ahead of winter, the domestic mood is as cool as the forecast.