European Protests: Violence Drops in France as Tensions Persist in Germany and Portugal

French officials expressed relief on Sunday after massive cost-of-living protests resulted in less violence than in recent weekends. Police anticipated new demonstrations as schools reopened for the autumn break, setting the stage for further public action. The shift in tactics and intensity marked a distinct change from the chaotic scenes of the previous month.

Violence in Paris was less severe than on October 17, when a city hall building burned and more than 2,000 shops were looted. On Saturday, rioters threw Molotov cocktails at the end of a march in the city’s east, injuring three officers and igniting a car. Elsewhere, masked groups fired fireworks at police near the Eiffel Tower, prompting repeated charges that caused tourists to flee. Paris and Marseille police reported attacks on a handful of shops but noted no major damage.

Police arrested 779 people by Saturday night, down from 2,628 on October 17 and 1,314 the previous weekend. Approximately 70,000 police officers were deployed nationwide. A national police official told The Associated Press that authorities prepared for high turnout from both peaceful marchers and rioters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because police policy did not authorize public identification.

Police expect more tension as student groups and unions call for new national protests on Tuesday and Thursday. In Germany, more than 100,000 people, mostly young, protested peacefully on Saturday to demand more spending on education, housing, and environmental protection. However, some cities saw unrest as night fell.

In Frankfurt, rioters attacked police in the city center and looted stores. More than 100 officers were injured, and 54 people, aged 13 to 29, were detained. Police said 17 shops suffered damage and five were looted. The situation calmed in the early hours of Sunday after police cordoned off the central area. Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, stated he was shocked by the violent excesses in Frankfurt. He added that anyone acting like the attackers places themselves outside society.

Clashes also erupted in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse crowds, and in Berlin, where demonstrators threw bottles and pyrotechnics at officers. The German Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, accused violent left-wing groups and rioters from the immigrant community of hijacking peaceful marches. He told the newspaper Bild on Sunday that rioters and looters would be identified and held accountable. The youth-led organizers of the protests, a group called Generation Z Will Take Over, posted on Instagram that they distanced themselves from any form of violence by outside groups.

In Portugal, riot police forcibly removed demonstrators from a square in Lisbon late Saturday. Thousands marched during the day, and hundreds camped in Rossio, a central square. Police intervened in the early hours of Sunday to remove tents and push people out, detaining some individuals. Portuguese protesters have marched for weeks, inspired by the Spanish movement, to complain about rising living costs, particularly housing.