Attempted murder probe after petrol bomb thrown at French police as protests turn violent across Europe

French officials have opened an investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer after incendiary devices were thrown at police during youth-led protests that ended in violence in cities across France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Albania. 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 Paris 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.

As the rallies ended, masked and hooded rioters arrived and caused what Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described as an extraordinary level of violence. More than 770 people were arrested.

In Paris, the prosecutor's office said incendiary devices were thrown at a group of about 15 gendarmes and police officers and a formal investigation had been opened for attempted murder of persons vested with public authority.

Injuries reportedly included second-degree burns in an incident captured on mobile phone video and shared on social media and broadcast on French television.

The level of physical violence and looting was significantly lower than on 17 October, when 2,600 people were arrested and as many as 3,000 shops were pillaged in one of the worst nights of urban unrest in France's recent history.

In Germany, looters and rioters rampaged through Frankfurt, damaging stores and injuring more than 100 police officers. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for harsh penalties and said the rioters and looters would be identified and held accountable.

More than 100,000 protesters marched in over 30 German cities on Saturday to demand better education and lower living costs in protests led by the Gen Z regelt campaign. Hooded rioters damaged 17 Frankfurt shops, looting five of them, and threw missiles including petrol bombs, according to Hesse state interior minister Roman Poseck. More than 100 of the 1,300 police officers deployed in the city were injured and 54 suspects aged from 13 to 29 were arrested.

Violence also broke out in Cologne, where police used water cannon to disperse the crowd, and in Berlin, where protesters attacked police with bottles and fireworks. Gen Z regelt posted a statement distancing itself from all violence.

In Portugal, riot police removed protesters by force from Rossio Square in Lisbon at about 4.30am on Sunday after thousands of people angry at the housing crisis marched through the city on Saturday and set up camp. A smaller camp in Porto was also cleared by force.

In Albania, masked protesters hurled stones and firebombs at police in the capital Tirana on the margins of a demonstration demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over perceived corruption. The interior ministry said 350 people had been hurt in the protests, including 200 police, with 269 minors arrested.

In Switzerland, hundreds of protesters gathered in Zurich and Basel on Saturday night for unauthorised demonstrations, both of which ended in violence. In Zurich, police used water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets to disperse rioters. In Basel, police said about 150 people gathered in the city centre at around 9pm.