OMM Newsroom
More than 140,000 students and young people have registered online for simultaneous protests in 23 German cities on Saturday, according to organizers of a Gen Z initiative, Anadolu Agency reported.
The group “Gen Z steht auf” will hold its main events in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, while joining local actions in 18 other cities, its website says.
Cologne has received the most online pledges, with more than 12,000, followed by Frankfurt with just under 11,000. Hamburg and Berlin each have more than 8,000 pledges, while Munich has nearly 7,000, the organizers said.
The demonstrations are due to begin at 2 pm local time (1300 GMT) under the slogan “Our future is in our hands.” They will focus on cuts to education and social spending, the rising cost of living and government plans for military conscription.
In a position paper, the initiative called for policies that invest in education, social security, healthcare and affordable living, rather than making savings at the expense of the younger generation.
“We are young people who no longer want to watch as decisions are made about our future without us being heard,” the organizers said. “Oct. 31 is only the beginning.”
Akram Selo, a co-initiator of “Gen Z steht auf,” said the demonstrations would be peaceful and told the media the group clearly distanced itself from any violence.
The Bild tabloid, citing security sources, reported that police across Germany had received deployment orders and designated locations for Oct. 31. Officers are also expected to protect particularly vulnerable sites. Water cannons and armored vehicles are to be on standby in major cities, with several hundred officers deployed, the newspaper reported.
Helicopters are due to monitor the demonstrations from the air, with police drones to be used if needed. Plans also include intercepting extremist groups prone to violence at train stations and separating them from travel groups, according to the report.
