German police plan to bar violence-prone individuals from abroad — Der Spiegel
In Germany, the Federal Police plan to deny entry to violence-prone individuals from abroad ahead of nationwide youth protests under the slogan “Gen Z regelt”. As Der Spiegel reports, this measure is intended to prevent possible unrest similar to that seen in France and Italy.
German security authorities are maintaining close contact with colleagues in other countries. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that the authorities clearly distinguish the announced peaceful student protests from potential violent extremist activity.
No data on unrest
According to the spokeswoman, federal security agencies currently have no additional information about possible violent unrest linked to the planned gatherings. Public calls for the protests emphasize the peaceful nature of the actions and explicitly distance themselves from violent clashes abroad.
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At the same time, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman said that parts of the left-wing extremist milieu and individual groups connected to foreign extremism are joining the mobilization. As of the time of publication, around 160,000 participants in demonstrations had been announced nationwide.
Youth demands and politicians’ response
Participants in the actions plan to advocate for better education and more affordable living, stronger climate protection, as well as against cuts in the social sector, arms build-up, and increased surveillance. Representatives of several political forces expressed understanding of the youth’s demands while calling for the protests to remain peaceful.
Family Minister Karin Prien called on participants to be politically active but not to resort to violence. Former Greens co-leader Ricarda Lang criticized the focus on the risk of violence instead of discussing young people’s demands and concerns. AfD leader Alice Weidel, for her part, said there was a risk that the demonstrations could be exploited by people from left-wing extremist and Islamist milieus.
