France opens attempted murder inquiry after violence follows European protests

French prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after incendiary devices were thrown at police in Paris, while Germany’s interior minister has demanded tough penalties following violence in Frankfurt. The incidents came after largely peaceful, mainly youth-led demonstrations across several European countries, where protesters have rallied this autumn over education, strained public services, housing costs and declining prospects.

An estimated 320,000 people demonstrated in France on Saturday, some wearing Halloween costumes. Violence later broke out in Paris, Marseille, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said masked and hooded rioters appeared as the rallies ended, describing the violence as “extraordinary”. More than 770 people were arrested.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said incendiary devices targeted a group of about 15 police officers and gendarmes. Reported injuries included second-degree burns, and mobile phone footage of the incident circulated on social media and appeared on French television. Despite the attack, violence and looting were substantially below the levels recorded on 17 October, when 2,600 people were arrested and up to 3,000 shops were pillaged.

In Germany, more than 100,000 demonstrators marched in over 30 cities on Saturday, calling for improvements to education and lower living costs. The protests were led by the campaign Gen Z regelt, whose name translates as Gen Z will sort it. In Frankfurt, hooded rioters damaged 17 shops and looted five, throwing missiles that included petrol bombs, according to Hesse interior minister Roman Poseck.

More than 100 of the 1,300 officers deployed in Frankfurt were injured, and police arrested 54 suspects aged between 13 and 29. Poseck said most of those arrested were German nationals. He also cited a police estimate that officers faced between 1,000 and 1,500 violent troublemakers, predominantly from a migrant background. Federal interior minister Alexander Dobrindt called for harsh penalties and blamed violent leftwing groups and troublemakers from the migrant community. He told Bild that extensive police deployments had prevented violence comparable to Paris.

Unrest also occurred in Cologne, where officers deployed water cannon, and Berlin, where police were attacked with bottles and fireworks. Gen Z regelt issued a statement distancing the campaign from all violence. In Portugal, officers forcibly cleared a protest camp in Lisbon’s Rossio Square at about 4.30am on Sunday, after thousands had marched through the capital on Saturday over the housing crisis. A smaller camp in Porto was also removed by force.

The Portuguese demonstrators want the minority centre-right government to abandon legislation that would ease evictions and remove rent caps on new leases. Police clearing protest camps used baton charges, with dogs accompanying some officers.

In Albania’s capital, Tirana, masked protesters threw stones and firebombs at police around a demonstration seeking prime minister Edi Rama’s resignation over perceived corruption. Youths also set rubbish bins alight at the end of a largely peaceful protest. The interior ministry said on Friday that 350 people, including 200 police officers, had been hurt in the protests and 269 minors arrested.

Hundreds joined unauthorised demonstrations in Zürich and Basel on Saturday night, both of which ended in violence. Swiss media reported that Zürich police used water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets against rioters throwing fireworks, bottles and stones. A patrol car was damaged, and bins and electric bikes were burned. In Basel, police said about 150 people gathered around 9pm. Windows were broken, buildings marked with graffiti, and bins and bikes set alight. Incidents were also reported in Geneva.