Violent riots erupt during German cost of living protests

Rioters looted shops and fought with police in Frankfurt and other German cities on Saturday night. The trouble started during protests about the rising cost of living. Shop windows were broken and goods were stolen in central Frankfurt. Violence also broke out in Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg. Protesters threw fireworks, stones, and bottles at police and other emergency workers. In Frankfurt, some people threw Molotov cocktails, which are bottles filled with burning fuel, at emergency services. Police smashed a gun shop window and arrested someone nearby, seizing two weapons. Officers used water cannons to push crowds back. The protests had begun peacefully, with groups calling for better funding for education, healthcare, and social services, before the violence started.