Out of the 55 suspects being investigated by the Frankfurt police following the riots in the city center on October 31st, approximately three-quarters hold foreign citizenship. According to the Frankfurt am Main Police Headquarters statement to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Friday edition), roughly half of the suspects do not possess a German passport. Of the remaining half, every second person holds both a German and a foreign nationality. These figures reflect the situation as of November 3rd.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had previously criticized the perpetrators of riots in major German cities, describing them as belonging to “aggressive left-wing groups and chaotic individuals from the migrant milieu,” which drew some criticism. In response to inquiries on Thursday, Frankfurt police stated that a “consistent confrontation with the involved perpetrator and disturbance groups” is necessary. They indicated that the groups involved predominantly include the approximately 100-member left-wing group that acted outside of the assembly, alongside numerous groups of young, aggressive migrant men.
The police noted similarities to groups that have been documented to commit crimes regularly during New Year’s Eve and on weekends. Furthermore, data from the “Zeil clientele” in 2025 indicated that 76 percent of the suspects were male, and 69 percent did not hold German citizenship. Consequently, Frankfurt Police is referring to an “already known pattern” involving a “high number of young, migrant-influenced men.”
Last week, tens of thousands of predominantly young people protested, demanding more money for schools, measures against rising living costs, social justice, and greater climate protection. The initiative “Gen Z regelt” reported 120,000 participants. However, separate groups caused unrest in both Berlin and Frankfurt on the sidelines of these demonstrations.
