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More than 140,000 students and young people have registered online for simultaneous protests in 23 German cities set for Saturday, according to organizers of a Gen Z initiative.
The group “Gen Z steht auf” (Gen Z stands up) will stage its main events in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne while joining local actions in 18 other cities, according to its website.
Cologne has drawn the most online pledges, with more than 12,000, followed by Frankfurt with just under 11,000, Hamburg and Berlin with more than 8,000 each, and Munich with nearly 7,000, the organizers reported.
The demonstrations are set to begin at 2 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT) under the slogan “Our future is in our hands.” They will focus on cuts to education and social spending, rising living costs and government plans for military conscription.
In its position paper, the initiative calls for a policy that invests in education, social security, healthcare and affordable living rather than making savings at the expense of the young generation.
“We are young people who no longer want to watch as decisions are made about our future without us being heard,” said organizers. “Oct. 31 is only the beginning.”
“Gen Z steht auf” co-initiator Akram Selo stressed that the demonstrations will take place peacefully, telling the media that the group clearly distances itself from any violence.
The Bild tabloid, citing security sources, said police across the country have already received deployment orders and designated locations for Oct. 31. Officers are also set to protect particularly vulnerable sites. In major cities, water cannons and armored vehicles are expected to be on standby, with several hundred officers deployed, it reported.
Demonstrations are to be monitored from the air by helicopters and, if needed, police drones. Plans also include intercepting violence-prone extremist groups at train stations and separating them from travel groups, according to the report.
Germany’s Gen Z protests come as anger over the cost of living fuels unrest across Europe. In France, police arrested 1,435 people during nationwide demonstrations on Oct. 24, while 267 officers and gendarmes suffered injuries, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Monday that Oct. 31 would be another “high-risk day,” adding that march routes would stay outside city centers. Trade unions plan a national day of mobilization on Nov. 5.
In Italy, rallies against rising prices turned violent in Milan, Turin and Bologna on Oct. 17-18. Milan police detained more than 200 people, while clashes left at least 161 injured and caused an estimated €1 million ($1.1 million) in damage.
Portuguese officers dismantled housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto overnight into Oct. 25, arresting 31 people. Authorities reported 11 injuries, while organizers said 37 protesters got hurt. Activists accuse the government of failing to tackle the country’s housing crisis.
In Albania, riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons against thousands of anti-government demonstrators in Tirana on Oct. 24. The movement began in May over a luxury hotel project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s family and has since grown into calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
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