More than 160,000 people are expected to join demonstrations across Germany on Saturday. The youth-led movement draws inspiration from protests elsewhere in Europe and is calling for better education, lower living costs and an end to compulsory military service. The rallies are being organised by the campaign group Gen Z regelt in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
Organisers say the movement wants to focus attention on the difficulties young people face, particularly rising living costs and the need for more investment in education. The Saturday rallies are the latest step in a series of Gen Z-led protests that have spread across Europe this year. In Serbia, student activism helped remove the country’s long-serving leader at the ballot box, while demonstrations in France have sometimes turned into riots and looting.
Authorities warn extremists could exploit the rallies
German authorities expect the demonstrations, which coincide with Halloween celebrations, to remain largely peaceful. They have nonetheless warned that extremist groups could try to take advantage of the movement. According to the federal interior ministry, parts of Germany’s far-left extremist scene and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements have joined efforts to mobilise support.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of the state of Hesse, whose capital is Frankfurt, pointed to the unrest in France as a warning. “We all have those images from France in our minds, looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers,” he said. “France must not be held up as a model in this regard,” he added.
In Berlin, some businesses along the luxury Kurfuerstendamm shopping boulevard boarded up their windows and planned early closures because of concerns about possible unrest ahead of the protests.
Young protesters say government ignores their concerns
For organisers, the central issue is the growing pressure on younger generations in Europe’s largest economy. Steve, an 18-year-old due to speak at a rally in Munich, directed his remarks at Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us,” he said. “We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us.”
The protests come as Germany struggles to restore economic growth while facing mounting pressure on pensions and public services. Baby boomers are retiring and the working-age population is shrinking. Some observers have, however, questioned who is driving the campaign and whether it is genuinely youth-led, given the wide range of political and civil society groups involved.
Germany’s national school student umbrella organisation, BSK, has distanced itself from the initiative and plans a separate day of protest on November 20. BSK secretary-general Amy Kirchhoff said on Thursday: “We are distancing ourselves from ‘Gen Z regelt,’ but not from the students themselves, who have legitimate concerns.”
Among those planning to take part on Saturday is Sean Baker, a student at the Technical University of Berlin. He said he would join to draw attention to the poor condition of buildings on campus. “When you go inside and enter the rooms, it looks like an abandoned building,” he said. “Yet this is where we’re expected to study on a regular basis.”
