Tens of thousands of young Germans took to the streets in more than 30 cities on Saturday in “Gen Z regelt” (“Gen Z takes charge”) demonstrations over the cost of living, education funding and military conscription — and in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne the day ended in clashes, looting and more than 200 arrests.
The daytime rallies were largely peaceful. The organizers said some 120,000 people took part nationwide; authorities in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin counted as many as 18,000 demonstrators in those three cities, roughly half the organizers’ estimate, the BBC reported.
The stated grievances included rising living costs, underfunded schools, cuts to public spending and health services, and sharply increased military spending — and, for many of the young protesters, opposition to a proposed revival of compulsory military service at a time when Berlin is pouring money into the army.
Frankfurt hit hardest
The worst violence was in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub. Police reported “violent riots” in the city center, where masked groups smashed the windows of 17 shops and looted at least five of them, including a sneaker shop and a perfume store, German media reported. The windows of a gun shop were smashed, a suspect was arrested and two weapons were seized, the BBC reported.
In Frankfurt, police deployed 1,300 officers; more than 100 officers were injured in the clashes and 54 participants aged 13 to 29 were arrested, authorities in the state of Hesse said. In Berlin, up to 56 people were detained and 27 officers were injured, Berlin police said. In Hamburg, public broadcaster NDR reported 120 people taken into custody after protesters erected burning barricades near the central bus station. Police also used water cannon in Cologne.
German media put the nationwide number of arrests at more than 200 by early Sunday, when the situation had largely calmed.
Blame and the official response
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said around 100 identified left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt demonstration — a claim the organizers dispute. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt promised severe punishment for the violence. “I expect there to be severe penalties,” he said on Sunday. Dobrindt also said, citing police estimates, that between 1,000 and 1,500 people had taken part in the violence in Frankfurt and that most of them appeared to have migrant backgrounds.
The Gen Z regelt organizers distanced themselves from the violence and announced plans for another nationwide demonstration on November 14.
A wider European wave
The German protests came a day after a third weekend of mass demonstrations in France, where the interior ministry said about 320,000 people marched on Saturday over living costs and education, with several hundred arrests, according to the Associated Press and The Guardian.
Sources: BBC; Reuters; Al Jazeera; Associated Press; The Guardian.
