Europe's Dark Knight: Gen Z protest turns violent in German city while French police launch probe after cocktail attack on Halloween as wave of unrest hits continent

Europe has been left reeling after a night of protests on Halloween descended into violence.Rioters in Germany looted shops and allegedly stole guns, while France launched an 'attempted murder' probe after a policeman was set alight from a Molotov cocktailsUnrest spread to Portugal where protesters in Lisbon clashed with officers in the early hours of the morning.In Frankfurt, a large section of the city's shopping area was closed off over the 'violent riots', with police confirming many arrests taking place overnight after special units were dispatched. Water cannons were used to disperse the violent demonstrators who had begun throwing stones, bottles and fireworks at emergency workers. 'Around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists' had crashed peaceful protests earlier in the day, according to Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state. Several store windows had been smashed through in the country's financial district, including a shop selling guns and another selling trainers. A suspect was later arrested with police seizing two weapons.Elsewhere in the country, Berlin's police said they were tackling 'the unpleasant side effects of Halloween' as bins and e-scooters became infernos in the clashes taking place in the capital. A person dressed in a Batman costume stands in front of a burning trash dumpster in downtown Frankfurt Police detain a demonstrator dressed as Batman during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt People try to break a window of a store selling weapons, during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt in Frankfurt Demonstrators pose with Halloween masks as they attend a protest under the slogan 'Gen Z Takes Care of It' in FrankfurtA bus was the target of a pyrotechnic and a police van was graffitied amidst the chaos that saw 60 people arrested, with protesters occupying tram lines, blocking roads and marching into the eveningA separate demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate earlier in the day had taken place 'almost without incident', however the subsequent gathering Rosenthaler Platz saw 27 officers 'slightly injured' in a clash there.Meanwhile in Cologne, officers were attacked by the main train station, with a bicycle and bottles launched at the police. German broadcaster RTL reported that groups wearing dark clothing had been kicking walls, shouting and throwing pyrotechnics. In Bremen, police said a march that began peacefully descended into disorder when some participants set off pyrotechnics and insulted officers. Demonstrations were also held in Munich and an officer in Bonn suffered minor injuries. In Germany, they also fear conscription, viewing the introduction of voluntary military service as a possible step towards compulsory service.Youth protest group Gen-Z Regelt! - meaning Gen-Z has got this - had called demonstrations in 34 German cities on Saturday, with some 120,000 taking part collectively.The group have publicly condemned violence in Germany, writing online, 'Extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us – no matter from which side'.However, separate marches caused chaos with the police saying they 'very decisively and also forcefully' intervened to prevent further damage.It was 'deeply saddening that young people who wanted to peacefully demonstrate for their future were infiltrated today by extremists who had nothing but violence in mind', Cologne's police chief Johannes Hermanns said.'The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable,' Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt was quoted as telling the Bild tabloid on Sunday. 'This breach of the peace must be followed by tough penalties.'He accused 'violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the migrant community' of hijacking the otherwise peaceful protests, without elaborating.Frankfurt police put more than 30 individuals under temporary arrest, local broadcaster HR said, without giving details of those detained.The minister said the police strategy of maintaining a large presence while deploying officers across multiple locations had worked.'Excesses of violence like those in Paris were prevented thanks to our highly committed police forces,' Dobrindt, a member of the conservative CSU, said. Flames rise on riot policemen after a Molotov cocktail was thrown in Paris A French Gendarme who is partly burning runs in a street as facing protesters at the end of a protest march during nationwide demonstrations over the rising cost of living and inequality organised by Yellow Vest movement Riot police advance on protesters during a rally for the right to housing in Lisbon Three weeks after they began in Porto, the protests for the right to housing continue, calling on the government to scrap the new rent law and adopt measures such as ending demolitions and evictions without providing alternative housingFollowing several weeks of protests in France, yesterday's remained largely peacefully after extensive riots and looting on October 17 left a trail of damage to shops, public buildings and businesses.However, France have launched an 'attempted murder' probe after an officer was engulfed in flames when being struck by a Molotov cocktail in a clash last night.France's interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said around 150 demonstrations had passed peacefully on Saturday, but police had faced an 'extraordinary' level of violence from some rioters. Describing the Molotov cocktail attack on the Paris officer as an 'attempted murder', he warned that the night was not yet over.'We are fully prepared for those looking for confrontation,' he said.Meanwhile, in Lisbon, police clashed with demonstrators at 4.30am who had set up a camp of more than 50 tents in Rossio square as they detained some of the protesters in an attempt to clear the area.Thousands had earlier marched through the city demanding Portugal's centre-right government withdraw a controversial rental bill - which critics say would further deteriorate the country's housing crisis.Police commander Luri Rodrigues had warned the protesters several times who had established a camp that if the illegally erected tents were not removed, they could face disobedience charges.The disorder follows weeks of student demonstrations across Europe. More than 320,000 protesters are said to have joined marches across France as demonstrations over education funding have widened into a broader movement.In Albania, student anger over high living costs and education underfunding have merged with demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Demos have become increasingly violent with protesters hurling paving stones, flares and petrol bombs at police. Protesters stand next to waste bins on fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana, Albania Police run past a trash dumpster set on fire by protesters in downtown Frankfurt Police officers take cover behind a vehicle with a Molotov cocktail fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 31, 2026 Protesters in La Plaine Square set up barricades in the side streets on October 31, 2026 in Marseille, France Protesters wearing Halloween costumes pose in front of the French national flag during a demonstration in Lyon, central-eastern France on October 31, 2026In Albania, footage from the capital Tirana showed demonstrators throwing petrol bombs and paving stones at police.Protests over insufficient education funding have become part of a wider movement demanding Rama's resignation, with demonstrations repeatedly descending into violence. Meanwhile, French police arrested five people accused of attempting to loot a Foot Locker store in Marseille.Police in the Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture said the suspects were caught trying to break into the shop's storerooms.The French unrest began with demonstrations by high school students demanding the equivalent of around £9billion for the education system, before expanding to draw in groups ranging from trade unions to Black Bloc anarchists.Demonstrations have also spread to countries including Italy, Portugal and Poland.