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Germany and France brace for protests on Halloween weekend
· Confirmed
In Short: Germany and France are bracing for potential protests this Halloween weekend, with concerns over rising prices and youth grievances.
Germany and France are preparing for potential protests this Halloween weekend, with concerns over rising prices and youth grievances. According to Al Jazeera, approximately 150,000 people in Germany have registered to protest in about 30 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, and Cologne, on Saturday. CNA reported that more than 160,000 people across Germany are expected to join demonstrations, organized by the campaign group Gen Z regelt, in 34 cities.
In France, more than 40 metro stations will be closed, and the government plans to deploy 70,000 police officers nationwide, the same number as the previous weekend. The protests in France have already caused an estimated €1 billion in damage, leading to calls for parents to be held financially liable for destruction caused by their children.
The protests in Europe are part of a wave of youth-led demonstrations that have swept through several countries, denouncing rising prices and a lack of prospects. In France, the protests have been ongoing for three consecutive weekends, with the Interior Ministry reporting that 410,000 people took part in marches across France the previous Saturday.
In Germany, the protest movement’s complaints include the high cost of living, poorly maintained schools, government spending cuts, and a broader concern that politicians are making decisions with little regard for the younger generation. In Berlin, some businesses along the luxury Kurfürstendamm shopping boulevard have boarded up windows and planned early closures ahead of the demonstrations.
The protests have also inspired similar calls for demonstrations in other European countries, including Spain, Austria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Portugal. A Telegram group operating under the name Blocus BCN has circulated messages calling for another gathering on October 31, encouraging participants to wear black clothing and Halloween masks to avoid being identified by police.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez of France said the weekend carries “a very high risk of public disorder, which will begin with protests during the day and continue well into the evening.” Roman Poseck, interior minister for the state of Hesse, whose capital is Germany’s financial hub, Frankfurt, said, “We all have those images from France in our minds—looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers.”
The nationwide demonstrations in Germany come two weeks after riots and looting caught security forces off guard, leaving damaged shops, public buildings, and businesses in cities across France. The federal interior ministry in Germany noted that parts of the far-left extremist scene and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements have joined efforts to mobilize support.
Steve, an 18-year-old due to speak at a rally in Munich, said, “The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us.” He added, “We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us.”
What's confirmed
- The German protests, organised by campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge), are planned in 34 cities including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
- "France must not be held up as a model in this regard." In Berlin, some businesses along the luxury Kurfuerstendamm shopping boulevard boarded up windows and planned early closures ahead of the demonstrations amid concerns about possible unrest.
- "Yet this is where we're expected to study on a regular basis."
- "We all have those images from France in our minds - looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers," said Roman Poseck, interior minister for the state of Hesse, whose capital is Germany's financial hub, Frankfurt.
- Parts of Germany's far-left extremist scene and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements have joined efforts to mobilise support, according to the federal interior ministry.
- "The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us," said Steve, an 18-year-old due to speak at a rally in Munich, addressing Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- "We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us."
What's still developing
- “Shopkeepers can’t wait for Saturday to be over,” Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter.
- France is bracing for a third weekend of protests coinciding with Halloween, with shops boarded up and authorities scrambling to prevent a repeat of the street violence that swept the country two weeks ago.
- A total of 130 people were arrested in weekend unrest, including 76 minors, as reported by Anadolu Agency (AA).
- Promotional material reportedly cited recent protests in France as an inspiration.
- The protests gathered pace in late September as Mr Macron's minority government launched 2027 budget talks.
- Authorities are also alert to the possibility that rioters could use Halloween masks to conceal their identities.
- France will deploy a 70,000-strong police presence to contain a widely expected bout of fresh unrest today in the latest nationwide protests.
- Germany's "Gen Z Regelt" - a group that surfaced on social platforms earlier this month saying "the French showed us first, so we'll follow" - plans demonstrations across 32 cities on Saturday, adding that violence of any kind targeting people or property will not be accepted.
- How to use ChatGPT & Claude to research stocks like a pro France will field 70,000 police this weekend, matching last week's deployment, according to Nuñez.
- “When you go inside and enter the rooms, it looks like an abandoned building,” he told Reuters.
- “We are distancing ourselves from ‘Gen Z regelt,’ but not from the students themselves, who have legitimate concerns,” said BSK secretary-general Amy Kirchhoff on Thursday.
- "Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble," Mr Nunez told a news conference earlier this week as he set out details of security arrangements for a day he described as carrying "a very high risk" of unrest.