Germany is preparing for a large wave of youth protests on October 31, after the initiative "Generation Z Takes Charge" (Gen Z regelt) called for simultaneous gatherings in more than twenty cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, and Munich.
The call comes amid a wave of protests across Europe that began in France and then spread to Italy, Spain, and other countries, driven by anger over declining public services, rising living costs, and the ossification of opportunities for the new generation.
However, the German scene does not appear to be a ready-made replica of the French experience, which was marred by violence and looting. The organizing initiative explicitly declares its rejection of all forms of violence against persons and property, while the police affirm their desire to protect citizens' rights to assemble and express themselves.
Nevertheless, German authorities are monitoring the movements with caution, after events in France, Italy, and Spain showed that extremist groups could exploit peaceful protests and turn them into clashes and acts of sabotage.
Size and Geography of the Protests
According to "Tagesschau," more than 10,000 people have registered to participate in the October 31 protests through the initiative's website in at least 21 cities, while recent coverage by "Der Spiegel" mentioned calls in 23 cities.
The discrepancy in numbers indicates that the mobilization process is still evolving online, and the true scale of participation will only become clear on the day of the protests.
The movement demands increased investment in education and health, improved living conditions, control of rising prices, as well as tightening climate protection policies and rejecting the reinstatement of conscription.
These demands place youth in direct confrontation with austerity policies, at a time when many feel that the state is asking them to bear the costs of crises they did not cause, without offering them clear guarantees regarding education, employment, and housing.
In Stuttgart, according to Tagesschau, a 21-year-old student named Kolya expressed that he feels like just "a cog expected to produce, and can be arbitrarily sacrificed," referring to concerns about compulsory military service.
The French Scenario
The German government and states are following preparations through shared security channels, exchanging information with France and Italy.
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior stated, according to the same source, that risk assessments are continuously conducted within the Countering Extremism and Terrorism Center, and authorities are monitoring websites and social media accounts that may publish calls for violent protests.
"Tagesschau" confirmed that federal police can assist state police and even refuse entry to individuals into Germany if there are indicators of their intention to participate in riotous activities.
It added that authorities stressed the need to separate peaceful student protests from the extremist scene that could exploit them.
Andreas Roßkoff, head of the German Federal Police Union, warned in a statement to "Deutsche Welle" that local and federal police "will respond firmly and decisively" to any disruption of public order. He also anticipates the possibility of radicals and extremists infiltrating the protesters to attack security forces or "spread chaos."
Culture of Protest
Matteo Kukelin, executive director of the Center for Countering Extremism in Baden-Württemberg, sees the sense of hopelessness as one reason for the protests.
He states in a statement reported by "Tagesschau": the current youth generation is the first that has placed a significant question mark behind the traditional phrase: “My children will live a better life than I did.”
However, Kukelin warns against overstating the expectation of a repetition of French disturbances in Germany; he points out differences in protest culture and that France has a more confrontational protest tradition. He also sees that the performance of the French police in de-escalation differs from their German counterparts, as well as the different social conditions in French suburbs.
He also noted that extremist groups may try to influence the protests, as happened in previous youth movements. Therefore, he believes that the initiative's clear rejection of violence will be a crucial factor in preventing the hijacking of its demands.
Ambiguity of Organizational Structure
On its part, "Der Spiegel" reveals that the disagreement in Germany is not only about the demands but also about the identity of the movement and the clarity of its organizational structures. The Federal Students' Union announced its distancing from the October 31 protests, warning that the ambiguity of the organizational structure could make the youth's demands vulnerable to political exploitation and polarization.
In contrast, politicians from the Christian Democratic Union and the Socialist Party warned of the possibility of the protests being exploited by extremist forces or criminal groups. However, the Greens and the Left criticized placing youths under presumptive suspicion.
Greens’ parliamentary leader Britta Haßelmann stated that young people have the right to have their voices heard and to peacefully protest for their future, while Felix Banazak called for taking the reasons for the anger seriously, pointing out that rents have become unbearable.