Chancellor Merz promises harsh punishment for rioters — Der Spiegel
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would show no tolerance for violence following riots that occurred in several cities across the country after youth protests ended. He stressed that people who attack police officers and emergency service workers or loot shops will face the full severity of the law.
Der Spiegel reported this, citing the text of the head of government's speech for a conference of district leaders of the Christian Democratic Union. Merz thanked the police for their response and noted that the overwhelming majority of young people had protested peacefully.
Riots after the protests
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of young people took to demonstrations, mostly peacefully. However, clashes and riots occurred after the events. In Frankfurt am Main, stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police officers, while rioters smashed shop windows and looted stores. More than 100 law enforcement officers were injured.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Clashes with police after the protests also took place in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin, although they were less large-scale than in Frankfurt am Main.
Dispute over those responsible
German politicians are arguing over who is responsible for the violence. The Left party said the actions of security forces may have contributed to the escalation. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt linked the riots, among other things, to “migrant milieus,” while Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned against premature conclusions and focusing on migrants.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said he had seen people of migrant origin among those involved in the violence in Frankfurt, while stressing that the overwhelming majority of such people are peaceful and law-abiding. Andreas Roskopf, head of the police union, also told Bild that the rioters allegedly belong to left-wing extremist and migrant milieus. At the same time, police assume that some cases of property damage may not have been related to the protests but caused by participants in Halloween celebrations.
