German police deployed to protect plundered shops in Frankfurt

Police remain deployed in Frankfurt after riots on Saturday evening, with the "considerable" damage to property yet to be precisely assessed, a spokesman said.

The unrest followed demonstrations by young people demanding better schools, relief from rising living costs and greater social justice - part of a day of protest in many cities across Germany.

Many of the protests passed off without incident. But in Frankfurt rioters smashed shop windows, stole goods from shops and attacked police officers. Police had provisionally arrested more than 30 people and cordoned off an area of the city centre.

The police spokesman said on Sunday that the shops which were looted during the unrest also needed protection.

He said it was still unclear how many people had been injured in the riots.

Hesse's state premier Boris Rhein said he was shocked "by the violent excesses in Frankfurt," which "will not remain without consequences."

"Anyone who behaves like the attackers in Frankfurt's city centre places themselves outside our society. We will carefully assess the aggressors, perpetrator groups and the course of events, and draw our conclusions."