Frankfurt’s city centre began Saturday unusually quietly, with subdued business in shops, plentiful parking spaces and many retailers taking precautions ahead of expected unrest. Some stores covered their windows with wooden panels or hired security guards. More than 120 security personnel were deployed to protect businesses.
The disturbances nevertheless caused damage to retailers and kept many customers away from the city centre. Robert Mangold, president of the Hessian hospitality association, said the demands of the Gen Z demonstrators were legitimate, but argued that the events had gone beyond normal protest activity.
Sven Rohde, managing director of the Hessian Trade Association, said the incidents had caused serious reputational damage to Frankfurt. Although only a small proportion of shops suffered broken windows, he said all retailers were affected by lost sales because many customers avoided the city altogether. Frank Albrecht, owner of Parfümerie Albrecht, reported a 40 percent decline in turnover and expressed concern about the impact on Frankfurt’s image and retail sector.
Retail and hospitality businesses had only recently begun recovering from the effects of the coronavirus restrictions, Mangold noted. The events also raised concerns about tourism. Thomas Feda, head of Frankfurt’s tourism and congress company, said unrest could temporarily lead to uncertainty, fewer hotel bookings and a decline in day visitors, particularly because the scenes received extensive media coverage. Images of burning barricades, water cannons, looting and violence, he said, damaged the image of Frankfurt as an open and international city.
The Trade Association is seeking an emergency fund for companies whose losses are not fully covered by insurance. It also wants security, public order and cleanliness to become permanent priorities in the development of the city centre, not only on days when demonstrations take place.
Ulrich Caspar, president of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said a clear line had been crossed when businesses were looted, shop windows destroyed and people attacked. While the right to peaceful protest must be protected, he said companies, employees and customers must be able to operate and move around the city without fear. Caspar called on the authorities to clarify what happened and ensure safe conditions for businesses in the future.
The potential long-term effect on tourism will depend largely on whether similar incidents happen again, Feda said. He noted that comparable one-off events generally affect tourism only temporarily, and said he hoped the same would apply to Frankfurt.
Florian Joeckel, operator of four Massif venues, said visitors to an event at Massif-E near Hauptwache were evacuated through a back entrance with the help of security staff. Employees who remained behind were reportedly unable to leave for three hours while police confronted rioters outside, including a man dressed as Batman. Joeckel said restoring confidence in safety in the city centre should now be the priority and warned that a planned student demonstration on November 20 could create further concern.
Joeckel praised the security services but argued that deploying still more personnel could not be the only answer. He called for a review of how demonstrations are authorised and questioned whether organisers should bear greater responsibility. Eduard Singer of the city marketing office suggested promotional campaigns and additional Sunday openings as ways to support the city-centre trade.
Amïn Baghi, whose agency and shop are located on Berliner Straße, also voiced concern about the future. He questioned whether business owners would now have to fear for their shops every night and warned that the unrest could be only the beginning if the incidents were ignored.
Sources: FAZ.