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Youth Protests Turn Violent in Germany
Confirmed
In Short: Tens of thousands of protesters, mostly young people, took to the streets across Germany on Saturday, with some demonstrations turning violent.
Tens of thousands of protesters, mostly young people, took to the streets across Germany on Saturday, with some demonstrations turning violent. The youth-led movement, known as 'Gen Z regelt' or 'Gen Z has got this,' organized the protests in more than 30 cities.
In Frankfurt, Germany's financial hub, masked rioters looted shops and damaged several more, prompting police to use water cannons to disperse protesters who hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks.
According to 'Gen Z regelt,' about 120,000 people participated in the protests, though the group had expected around 180,000 participants. The protests were largely peaceful in many cities but turned violent in some areas.
Protesters demanded better education, lower living costs, and an end to military conscription. High school student Lara Breitenbach said, 'We call for more money to be invested in social services and education, as well as in climate protection - in short, in our future - because we are the ones who will be affected by this the longest and who will have to live with it.'
Similar youth-led demonstrations were also reported in other European cities, including France, Italy, and Portugal, with protesters voicing concerns over rising living costs and deteriorating school conditions.
Germany and France had prepared for potential protests over the weekend, coinciding with Halloween festivities. Police warned that they would not tolerate violence against emergency workers.
The protests in Germany came amid a broader wave of youth activism across Europe, with some online messages referring to Halloween while also calling for 'revolution' and 'insurrection.'
What this adds
The protests in Germany were part of a larger trend of youth-led demonstrations across Europe, with varying levels of violence and police response.
What's confirmed
- In Germany, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” — roughly “Gen Z’s got this” — rallied in more than 30 cities “for education, health, climate protection and an affordable life,” and against any return of military conscription.
What's still developing
- “It was also the AfD that initiated a bill in April 2019 calling for a ban on the antisemitic BDS movement… In June 2019, the AfD also proposed a complete ban on Hezbollah’s activities in Germany,” wrote Chikli in a post on X at the time.
- In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the U.K., alongside their counterparts from Canada and Japan, expressed strong opposition to the sanctions, warning of serious consequences for the court's operations and personnel.