Gen Z protests reach Germany as thousands join Halloween rallies

Thousands of people across Germany joined demonstrations on Saturday, as a youth-led movement inspired by protests elsewhere in Europe took to the streets to demand better education and lower living costs. The protests follow a wave of Gen Z-led demonstrations across Europe this year. In Serbia, student-led activism helped unseat the country’s long-time leader at the ballot box, while protests in France have descended into rioting and looting. The German protests organised by the campaign group “Gen Z regelt” – Gen Z takes charge in German – are planned in 34 cities including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The group says it opposes compulsory military service and wants greater investment in education as many young Germans struggle with rising costs. Official numbers on Saturday afternoon suggested participant turnout was significantly below the 182,000 organisers initially expected.

Police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported 6,000 protesters, compared with around 36,000 on the organisers’ website. German authorities say they expect Saturday’s demonstrations, which coincide with Halloween festivities, to be largely peaceful but have warned of attempts by extremist groups to exploit the movement. 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. “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. “France must not be held up as a model in this regard. ” Some businesses across German cities boarded up windows and planned early closures ahead of…