Youth-Led Protests Set to Sweep Germany on Saturday
Berlin: Germany is preparing for a large day of protest this Saturday, with more than 160,000 people expected to take part nationwide. Led by young people, the movement is calling for improved education and a reduction in the cost of living. It follows a similar pattern seen in other European countries.
The demonstrations form part of a series of Gen Z-led protests across Europe in 2025. In Serbia, students spearheaded a movement that helped remove the country’s long-standing leader through an election. In France, demonstrations spiraled into riots and looting.
In Germany, the protests are being run by a campaign group named Gen Z Regelt, which means “Gen Z has taken control.” Demonstrations are scheduled in 34 cities, among them Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The group argues against compulsory military service and says education needs far more funding. Many young people in Germany, the organizers say, are struggling with mounting expenses.
German officials expect the protests, which are taking place around the Halloween period, to be mostly peaceful. They have nonetheless warned that some extremist groups may seek to take advantage of the situation.
Federal Interior Ministry figures indicate that far-left extremist factions in Germany and certain groups tied to foreign extremist movements have teamed up to build support for the protests.
Hesse’s Interior Minister Roman Poseck drew a clear contrast with France. “We all have in our minds the images from France: looting, homes being burned, police vehicles set on fire and attacks on police officers,” he said. Frankfurt, the capital of Hesse, is also Germany’s financial center. Poseck said France should not be seen as a model in this regard.
In Berlin, shops along the Kurfürstendamm boulevard have boarded up their windows with wooden planks in anticipation of possible unrest. Several businesses have also decided to close early because of the demonstrations.
The core issue for organizers is the growing burden on younger generations in Europe’s largest economy. At a rally in Munich, 18-year-old Steve addressed Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The government has not responded to our concerns. Instead, it keeps cutting the budget and making things harder for us,” he said.
The BSK, Germany’s main association of school students, has stepped back from the initiative and plans its own protest on November 20. Its Secretary General, Amy Kirchhoff, said on Thursday, “We are distancing ourselves from ‘Gen Z Regelt’, but not from the students whose concerns are fully justified.”
Student Shaun Becker from Berlin’s Technical University said he will join Saturday’s rally to draw attention to the poor state of campus buildings. “When you go inside and walk into the rooms, it feels like an abandoned building. Yet we are expected to keep studying there every day,” he said.