Youth-led Gen Z protests over living costs turn violent in Frankfurt and Cologne, as France holds a third weekend of rallies

Youth-led protests against the cost of living, education funding and a possible return of compulsory military service spread across Germany on Saturday, CNN, CNBC (AP) and the New York Post (Reuters) report. In Frankfurt, rioters smashed storefronts, looted shops and stole weapons from a gun store, which police later recovered, according to Frankfurt police. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild that "violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities" hijacked the protests, CNN reports, without elaborating. Organizers put German turnout at 120,000, CNN reports; police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin counted as many as 18,000 by the afternoon, the Post reports. France's government estimated 320,000 people protested on its third straight weekend, with more than 560 arrests, AP reports.