OMM Newsroom
Young people took part in protests organized by the “Gen Z regelt” campaign in 34 German cities on October 31, calling for more funding for education, lower living costs and opposition to proposed compulsory military service. Violence broke out in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police said Molotov cocktails had been thrown at officers.
The name “Gen Z regelt” means “Gen Z takes charge,” AnewZ reported. The protests followed youth-led demonstrations in several European countries, including France and Albania, where weeks of unrest caused extensive damage to businesses.
Organizers initially expected up to 182,000 people to join the protests, but turnout in Germany’s major cities was considerably lower. Police said up to 18,000 people demonstrated in Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich. Organizers had expected about 36,000 across those cities.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck recalled looting and attacks on police vehicles during protests in France and warned against similar violence in Germany. “We all have the images from France in front of us: looting, houses and police cars set on fire, attacks on police officers,” Poseck said. He added: “France should not be held up as an example in this regard.”
Reasons for the protests and organizers
The movement has brought together young people concerned about education funding and rising living costs. Organizers say Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government is placing additional financial and social burdens on younger generations without investing enough in schools, universities and healthcare.
Lina Friedrich, a spokesperson for “Gen Z regelt,” said at a protest in Berlin that demonstrators wanted more funding for public services and a fairer distribution of financial responsibility. Students also voiced concerns about deteriorating university infrastructure.
The movement is presented as a youth-led initiative focused on education, living costs and opposition to compulsory military service. However, the involvement of various political and civil society organizations in organizing the protests has raised questions about the movement’s leadership and political ties.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior said some far-left extremist circles in the country and groups linked to foreign extremist movements had joined efforts to mobilize support for the protests. Germany’s nationwide student organization, BSK, distanced itself from the campaign. BSK Secretary General Emi Kirchhoff said the organization supported students’ concerns but would not demonstrate alongside “Gen Z regelt.” BSK plans to hold its own protest day on November 20.
Events in Frankfurt and other cities
Protests were peaceful in most German cities. Witnesses said at least two shops were looted in Frankfurt on Saturday evening and several other businesses were damaged. Frankfurt police said shop windows were smashed in the city center and Molotov cocktails were thrown at emergency service workers. Police urged people who were not in the area to stay away or leave.
Barricades were set on fire in Hamburg. In Berlin, some businesses covered their shop windows with boards ahead of the protests, while others planned to close early.
The protests in Germany followed weeks of demonstrations in France over living costs, education and public services. France’s Interior Ministry said 320,000 people took part in protests nationwide on October 31, including 70,000 in Paris. That was fewer than the 410,000 recorded the previous weekend and the 550,000 who took part on October 17.
French police said clashes broke out in Paris, Lyon and Toulouse on Saturday. Officials said, however, that public order was largely maintained. France’s Chamber of Commerce estimated that three weeks of unrest had cost the retail sector more than 1 billion euros, including losses and disruption to business activity.
So far, the protests in Germany have not been linked to comparable economic losses nationwide. “Gen Z regelt” has not secured the policy changes it is seeking. A separate student protest planned by BSK for November 20 could offer another indication of the scale of youth participation in demonstrations in Germany.
Education funding, living costs and military service policy are key issues for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government. The authorities, meanwhile, face the task of protecting the right to peaceful protest while preventing violence and damage to businesses. Despite the violence in Frankfurt and isolated incidents elsewhere, most demonstrations were peaceful.
