Around 6,000 people join youth protests in Germany — The Independent
Actions by the Gen Z regelt campaign took place in Germany on Saturday, with participants demanding more funding for education and lower living costs. Police in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich reported a total of around 6,000 demonstrators, The Independent reports.
Participants' demands
The demonstrations were organised by the Gen Z regelt campaign, whose name can be translated as “Generation Z takes matters into its own hands”. The actions were planned in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
The movement opposes compulsory military service and demands increased investment in education amid rising costs for the country's young residents. According to police, the number of participants was significantly lower than the 182,000 people previously expected by the organisers. The campaign's website listed around 36,000 participants.
The actions took place on Halloween. German authorities expected them to be mostly peaceful, but warned of possible attempts by extremist groups to use the movement for their own purposes.
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Authorities' and student organisation's response
According to Germany's federal interior ministry, representatives of the far-left extremist milieu and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements were involved in mobilising support.
Before the actions, some businesses in German cities covered their windows with protective shields and planned to close earlier due to fears of possible unrest. Such measures were taken, in particular, along Berlin's Kurfürstendamm shopping boulevard.
The nationwide organisation representing school students, BSK, distanced itself from Gen Z regelt while acknowledging that students' problems were justified. It plans to hold a separate day of protests on 20 November. Sean Baker, a student at the Technical University of Berlin, said he planned to join the action to draw attention to the unsatisfactory condition of university buildings.
