During the nationwide ‘Gen Z rules’ riots in Germany on 31 October, a group of young men from migrant backgrounds were interviewed on the streets of Leipzig. The motives they revealed were entirely different from the organisers’ official demands for better schools, a lower cost of living and climate action.
Video journalist Aron Morhoff asked the migrants directly about their motivation. One replied: “We just want to loot shops.” Another: “We want to fight the police. Everyone’s lying. We want to fight the police.” A third shouted: “We want to fuck Leipzig!” Several also linked the protests to Palestine with the genocidal battle cry “Free Gaza!”
Incidentally, re-uploading a reel like this instead of simply reposting it is just as antisocial as the lads themselves https://t.co/NidytMXkAX
— Aron Morhoff (@AronMorhoff) 2 November 2026
Motivated by looting, confrontation with the police and destruction
When one member of the group attempted to claim that it was about ‘school and stuff’, he was contradicted by the others. The interview, which has been widely circulated, reveals an open admission that the participants’ motives were looting, confrontation with the police and destruction – not the political discontent cited by the organisers.
The protests began on 31 October as relatively peaceful daytime marches in around 30 cities, demanding more funding for education, housing and mental health, and opposing compulsory military service. After dark, the situation escalated in several places.
In Frankfurt, shops were smashed and looted, and the police were attacked with stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Over 100 officers were injured. Similar incidents took place in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and other cities.
The German authorities have blamed a combination of far-left groups and ‘troublemakers from migrant communities’ who are exploiting the large crowds. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, together with state ministers, has promised a tough response and emphasised that violence cannot be justified by political demands.
The organisers have distanced themselves from the violence and stated that they had no control over what happened after the official events. However, the video from Leipzig provides a direct insight into the ‘political motivation’ of some of those involved, which differs sharply from that of the organisers.
