Youth-led protests across Europe ended in street violence on Saturday night, according to the Guardian. In France, prosecutors in Paris opened a formal investigation for "attempted murder of persons vested with public authority" after incendiary devices were thrown at a group of about 15 gendarmes and police officers. Injuries reportedly included second-degree burns. The French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, described the level of violence as "extraordinary," and more than 770 people were arrested.
Violence also broke out in Marseille, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse after an estimated 320,000 demonstrators took to the streets, the report says. The report notes that physical violence and looting were significantly lower than on 17 October, when 2,600 people were arrested.
In Germany, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said "the rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable" and called for "tough penalties." According to Roman Poseck, the Hesse state interior minister, hooded rioters damaged 17 shops in Frankfurt, looted five, and threw petrol bombs. More than 100 of the 1,300 police officers deployed in the city were injured, and 54 suspects aged 13 to 29 were arrested. Poseck said police estimated they faced "between 1,000 and 1,500 violent troublemakers, predominantly from a migrant background." Gen Z regelt, the campaign that led the protests, issued a statement distancing itself from all violence.
In Portugal, riot police removed protesters from Rossio Square in Lisbon early on Sunday. The protesters oppose a government bill that would make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases. In Albania, masked protesters threw stones and firebombs at police in Tirana during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over alleged corruption. The Albanian interior ministry said 350 people had been hurt, including 200 police.
In Switzerland, police in Zürich used water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets against rioters, according to Swiss media. In Basel, police said about 150 people gathered and shop windows were smashed.