Petrol bombs were thrown at police and shops were targeted as a wave of violent Halloween unrest spread across several European countries.
Berlin became the latest capital to see clashes after more than 3,500 demonstrators—many in costume—took to the streets. Riot police faced flares, fireworks and glass bottles during the disorder.
In Paris, a police officer was set alight after being hit by a Molotov cocktail, an attack France’s interior minister condemned as “attempted murder”.
The unrest came after weeks of student-led demonstrations across Europe. In France, anger over education funding has developed into a broader protest movement, while in Albania, demonstrations have been joined by calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
Young protesters say they are frustrated by soaring living costs, public spending cuts and schools in poor condition.
In Germany, opposition to possible conscription has also become a major concern, with some young people viewing the proposed introduction of voluntary military service as a potential route to compulsory enlistment.
At least 56 people were arrested in Berlin after protesters occupied tram tracks, blocked roads and continued marching into the evening. Police deployed water cannon and pepper spray, while 27 officers were reported injured.
Youth campaign group Gen-Z Regelt!—which translates as “Gen-Z has got this”—had called protests in 34 German cities on Saturday.
An afternoon rally near Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate was largely peaceful.
A protester attempts to smash a window at a weapons shop during a nationwide Gen-Z Regelt demonstration in Frankfurt, protesting school underfunding, cuts to education, social services, culture and healthcare, rising living costs and military conscription.
Riot police are engulfed by flames after a Molotov cocktail was thrown during clashes at a demonstration over rising living costs and cuts to public services in Paris, France, on October 31, 2026.
Demonstrators stand beside burning rubbish bins during an anti-government protest in central Tirana, Albania.
In Berlin, Our News Outlet witnessed a young man being tackled by around 10 police officers and dragged away, leaving blood on the doorstep of a shop.
Violence broke out during a separate evening march involving several groups, including a large contingent of pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The protest was held under the slogan “Gen-Z has had enough!”
Our News Outlet saw a young man pinned to the ground by roughly 10 officers before being taken away. A pool of blood remained on the shop entrance after the confrontation.
Several other people were arrested, including at least one journalist covering the demonstration.
Placards carried messages including “Time for resistance” and “Merz must go”, referring to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Protesters chanted “Free Palestine” and “anti-fascism” as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) continues to gain support. The party has made particular advances in eastern Germany and recently won a state election in Saxony-Anhalt.
A biology teacher brought a deck chair to Rosenthalerplatz, where the Berlin march began.
He was quickly struck by an egg but remained at the protest, telling the Mail that he wanted to understand the concerns voiced by his 18-year-old students.
Speaking about looting during French protests earlier this month, he said: “Nobody needs that much luxury, but nobody has the right to destroy those shops either.”
“I don’t think what happened there was good. Some people simply enjoy the violence.”
By 7.30pm, police warned that anyone refusing to leave would face water cannon and arrest. Protesters responded with chants of “shame on you” and “all police are b*******”.
A partially burning French gendarme runs through a street while confronting protesters at the end of a march during nationwide demonstrations over living costs and inequality organised by the Yellow Vest movement.
Police officers run past a rubbish container set alight by protesters in central Frankfurt.
A person wearing a Batman costume stands in front of a burning rubbish container in downtown Frankfurt.
Demonstrators wearing Halloween masks attend a Gen-Z Regelt protest in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Police officers take cover behind a vehicle as a Molotov cocktail burns during an anti-government protest in central Tirana on October 31, 2026.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but police maintained a heavy presence on street corners throughout the area.
Across Germany, student demonstrations were followed by clashes in several cities. In Frankfurt, police used water cannon after officers were pelted with stones and firecrackers.
The local police force said at least one officer was injured in the unrest.
One person was later arrested and two weapons were confiscated after a gun shop in central Frankfurt was broken into.
Police secured the weapons that remained inside the store.
As disorder continued into the evening, officers urged people not involved in the protests to avoid the city centre, warning that emergency workers were being targeted with Molotov cocktails.
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Cologne also saw unrest, with around 50 people reportedly arrested after a demonstration in the city centre.
German broadcaster RTL said groups dressed in dark clothing had kicked walls, shouted at officers and thrown pyrotechnics.
Water cannon were used in Cologne and Hamburg, while police in Leipzig resorted to pepper spray. An officer in Bonn sustained minor injuries.
In Bremen, police said a march that had begun peacefully turned disorderly after some participants set off fireworks and verbally abused officers.
Protests were also reported in Munich.
Protesters erect barricades in side streets around La Plaine Square in Marseille, France, on October 31, 2026.
Thousands gather at La Plaine Square in Marseille, where protesters built barricades and clashed with police on October 31, 2026.
Demonstrators clash with police during a Gen-Z Regelt protest in Cologne, Germany.
Berlin became the latest European capital to experience clashes as more than 3,500 demonstrators took to the streets.
At least 56 people were arrested in Berlin after protesters blocked roads and tram lines. Police used water cannon and pepper spray, with 27 officers injured.
Protesters in Halloween costumes pose in front of the French flag during a demonstration in Lyon, central-eastern France, on October 31, 2026.
Protesters clash with police outside the Education Ministry during a demonstration calling for the prime minister’s resignation in Tirana, Albania.
Protesters dressed for Halloween take part in a demonstration in Berlin.
In Albania, footage from Tirana showed protesters hurling petrol bombs and paving stones at police.
Demands for better education funding have become part of a wider campaign calling for Rama to step down. Similar demonstrations have repeatedly ended in violence.
In France, police arrested five people accused of trying to loot a Foot Locker store in Marseille.
The Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture said the suspects were detained while allegedly attempting to enter the shop’s storerooms.
Gen-Z Regelt! claimed that about 120,000 people joined demonstrations across Germany, while police said the main rallies themselves had been “very peaceful”.
Andreas Rosskopf, a police union official, told the Rheinische Post that officers had responded “very decisively and also forcefully” when violence broke out. He said most property damage had been brought under control by the evening.
Gen-Z Regelt! said it clearly opposed violence in Germany. “Extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us—no matter from which side,” the group wrote online.
France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said roughly 150 demonstrations had taken place peacefully on Saturday, although police faced what he called an “extraordinary” level of violence from some rioters.
A police officer stands near a burning car during a demonstration in Paris.
A partially burning French gendarme attempts to extinguish the flames while confronting protesters at the end of a march.
French gendarmes operate near a burning street barricade during nationwide demonstrations.
Police confront protesters during a “GenZ hat genug!”—“Gen Z has had enough!”—demonstration in Berlin, Germany.
A costumed protester stands beside a fire during a demonstration in Paris.
A protester builds a barricade at La Plaine Square in Marseille on October 31, 2026.
Protesters construct barricades in the side streets around La Plaine Square in Marseille, France, on October 31, 2026.
Two people try to extinguish a barricade set alight by protesters on October 31, 2026.
Riot police pass a burning rubbish pile while confronting protesters at a banned demonstration in Marseille.
Calling the Molotov cocktail attack on the Paris officer an “attempted murder”, Nuñez warned that further violence could still occur overnight.
“We are fully prepared for those looking for confrontation,” he said.
The French protests began with high school students seeking about £9 billion for the education system. They later expanded to include groups ranging from trade unions to Black Bloc anarchists.
Similar demonstrations have also spread to Italy, Portugal, Poland and other countries.
