Attempted murder probe after petrol bomb thrown at French riot police

Youth-led protests end with street violence in cities across France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Albania

French officials have opened an investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer and Germany’s interior minister has called for harsh penalties after peaceful and mainly youth-led protests across Europe ended in violence.

In Portugal, police – some with dogs – cleared protest camps with baton charges, while security forces in Switzerland were attacked with paving stones.

Protests over the education system, deteriorating public services, declining prospects, unaffordable housing and the spiralling cost of living have shaken a number of countries this autumn.

Violence erupted in the French capital as well as Marseille, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse on Saturday night after an estimated 320,000 demonstrators, some in Halloween costume, took to the streets.