Massive Gen Z protests set to sweep cities across Germany

Massive Gen Z protests set to sweep cities across Germany October 31, 2026What you need to know - Organizers of mass youth protests on Saturday hope that more than 170,000 people will take part in some 34 cities - Protesters are to call for more money for schools, measures to lower the cost of living, greater social justice and more climate protection - They will also protest at the possible reintroduction of military conscription - The protests come as young people across Europe take a stand for their rights in several countries, notably in France - Security authorities say they have no evidence of any planned violence, but the Interior Ministry has warned that extremists might hijack the protests This is a round-up of events at the youth protests across Germany on October 31, 2026: German 'Gen Z' protests set for cities across the country Young people are to take part in demonstrations across Germany on Saturday, following the example of their peers in France and other countries who have been calling for better educational prospects and future opportunities. In Germany, organizers said there is also to be a focus on rejecting military conscription and on demanding more protection for the climate as the Earth warms, with potentially catastrophic effects. Saturday's protests are being called for by the youth initiative "Gen Z regelt" ("Gen Z sorts it") through a social media campaign The group itself will directly organize four of the protests — in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich —, with associated demonstrations to take place in some 30 other cities. It has explicitly called for peaceful protests without the violence that marred recent demonstrations in France. Focus on security fears This has not stopped several conservative politicians, notably from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), from warning that similar scenes could occur. "Gen Z regelt" has, however, criticized what it sees as a wrong focus on the possibility of violence at the protests. "It shows that our point about not being taken seriously or being heard is right. No one wants to work with us on the issues at stake but instead always put the topic of violence on the agenda," an organizer of the Munich protest told a press conference in Cologne. However, other lawmakers have come out in support of the protests. The leader of the parliamentary party of the Greens, Katharina Dröge, told the DPA news agency: "Young people are rightly furious because the federal government does not take their wishes seriously enough." The Left Party leader, Luigi Pantisano, also said it was the right time for protests as the government mulls reforms of the nursing care and pensions systems, calling them "social cruelties." "Gen Z" broadly refers to the generation born between 1997 and 2012. France to see fresh cost-of-living protests As Germany gears up for a day of mass youth protests, authorities in neighboring France are also bracing for new demonstrations on Saturday amid fears that the violence seen at October 17 rallies could repeat itself. Some 70,000 police officers have been deployed to monitor around 150 protests across the country. In recent weeks, protests by school pupils complaining about poor school conditions morphed into wider demonstrations on multiple issues, including the rising cost of living and social inequality. On October 17 in particular, considerable violence occurred on the sidelines of mostly peaceful protests as extremists took the opportunity to plunder, riot and damage public property. Welcome to our coverage Young people in Germany are taking their lead from student protests in neighboring France to call for their opinions to be heard amid multiple challenges facing society. As seen recently in France, organizers said they will be airing grievances about a perceived neglect of education but also calling for more social equality, less surveillance and measures to curb global warming. Some politicians, in particular far-right leader Alice Weidel from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), have warned that the protests could attract violent extremists, but the organizers themselves have rejected any form of the violence that was seen occasionally in France. Follow the protests as they unfold in some 34 cities across Germany.