Berlin student protests: youth demands meet extremist mobilisation

According to police, around 5,000 people joined a demonstration by the initiative "Gen Z regelt" at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. In the afternoon, organisers claimed some 11,000 participants had taken part. A protest rally organised by the youth initiative “Gen Z regelt” was held in Berlin on Saturday, with demonstrators calling for more investment in education and an end to rearmament. Pro-Palestine activists, flags and slogans were prominently visible among the crowd gathered at the Brandenburg Gate. The rally began at 2 p.m. Its stated demands include more money for schools and climate protection, affordable living costs and no compulsory military service. Organisers promised a peaceful event. Even so, some shops on Unter den Linden, Friedrichstraße and Kurfürstendamm put up barricades to guard against possible looting. Pro-Palestine presence across the square At the entrance to the Brandenburg Gate, a man in a jumper in the colours of the Palestinian flag handed out flyers. Beside him, a representative of the daily newspaper "Junge Welt” offered brochures and copies. The paper is monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence service, which classifies it as far-left extremist. Further along, at Platz des 18. März, Palestinian flags flew alongside anarchist and Antifa banners. Some signs focused on military spending, with slogans such as “Flunked the PISA test but passed the military medical” and “Money for social causes instead of war”. Others went further, reading “German weapons kill children in Palestine”, “No money for children’s homes, schools & women’s refuges, but money for war and genocide” and “Stop the genocide in Gaza”. Many of those present, mostly young men and women, wore the red or black Palestinian scarf known as the kufiya. Some wore it around their necks; others wrapped it around their heads or draped it over their shoulders like a cape. “Not a single cent left for education” Euronews spoke to a group of young women who said they were aged 19 to 20 and doing a voluntary social year (FSJ). They said they had come partly to show solidarity with France and the protests across Europe, but above all to make the point that young people do not feel seen or taken seriously by politicians. “There is constant militarisation and rearmament, and there is simply not a single cent left for education and social spending,” one of them said. Two of the women wore a kufiya around their necks. Asked what the conflict in the Middle East has to do with the school student protests, one replied: “It has to do with the fact that we as young people, or as people in Germany in general, also have to take responsibility for the fact that weapons are produced here that are used to kill civilians and children in Palestine, in Gaza and in the West Bank.” She added: “I do not think I could ever live with myself if I never paid any attention to this.” “I do not want FU to support a genocide” A little further away stood a young man with a Palestinian scarf around his neck. He studies chemistry at Freie Universität (FU), where there have repeatedly been pro-Palestine occupations in recent years. He said he came because universities face ever more cuts, while rents are rising and students have to work on the side. “At some point it simply becomes impossible,” he said. Young people, he added, are also suffering massively from the arms build-up. “I am just angry about what is happening right now.” He said he wears the scarf because of his university. FU has eleven cooperation projects with Israel, he said, and so indirectly supports research for war. He argued this also affects Germany, because the Federal Republic buys military equipment from Israel. “I do not want our universities to exist to build war products. I do not want FU to support a genocide,” he said. Part of a wider European movement The Berlin rally is part of a wave of youth-led protests across Europe. In France, demonstrations that began last month as a high school student movement have since drawn in labour unions and others angry at President Emmanuel Macron, while rallies were also reported in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain on Saturday. Critics in Germany, however, say some openly radical groups were represented at the demonstration Among the demonstrators there are also representatives of radical left-wing groups. Alongside Antifa flags, the youth organisation "Linksjugend ['solid]", the youth wing of the Left Party, is present in smaller numbers. It has long faced criticism over accusations of antisemitism. The Neukölln branch in particular has made headlines recently. The Berlin Linksjugend has also repeatedly come under fire for its anti-Israeli resolutions and its stance on the Middle East conflict. The "Revolutionäre Linke" was also represented with its own stand. In early 2023 members of the federal working group "Revolutionäre Linke" founded the separate organisation "Jugend für Sozialismus". The background was growing conflicts with the leadership of the youth organisation, which they accused of political adaptation, a lack of class struggle and undemocratic structures. The organisation criticises the trend of more money for the Bundeswehr and less for hospitals and other social spending. "We see that it is our young generation that will be hit hardest and for the longest time." Their goal, they say, is to build a better society. That is why they are here. It should be in the interests of every left wing organisation to take part in such events, they argue, because this is where the real power to bring about change lies. Asked what the issue of Palestine and the conflict in the Middle East have to do with the protests, he replies, "We always put out all our information materials. However, there is also a link here. One of the major problems is that, despite everything that is happening, the Bundeswehr continues to carry out drone tests together with the Israeli army, and weapons are still being sold to Israel. We strongly condemn this. And of course it is also connected with conscription and the expansion of the Bundeswehr here." Contradictory statements from security authorities The press office of the Berlin police told Euronews in response to a query two days before the protests that individual groups from the left wing political spectrum were picking up on the protests in France and issuing calls to mobilise. "However, there is currently no reliable evidence of targeted extremist influence or control over this group." Euronews research paints a different picture. Shortly before the protests in Berlin, serious threats of violence appeared in a private Telegram group. As the "Berliner Zeitung" (B.Z.) reports, one user announced possible violence with the words "I am going out with a machete". Others threatened attacks on synagogues, looting and arson. The press office of the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sport told Euronews in response to a query beforehand that actors from parts of the left wing extremist and foreign related extremist spectrum were also mobilising for the demonstrations on 31 October. Their aim in taking part is likely, among other things, to co-opt and radicalise the protests. "Legitimate civil society protest is thereby supposed to be reinterpreted as a struggle against the rule of law and liberal democracy." In the case of individual left-wing extremist actors who are calling for participation, it must also be assumed that they have a basic interest in escalation. Unclear structures and withdrawal of organisers Shortly beforehand, several organisers and supporters had distanced themselves from the initiative "Gen Z regelt". The previous spokesperson Gianni Matheja justified his withdrawal by pointing to differing views within the movement and doubts that the protests would remain peaceful. Berlin supporters Max Schneller and Battal Yali also pulled out of the initiative. The supporters who stepped down criticised unclear responsibilities and a lack of transparency in the organisation and funding of the protests. According to research by the Tagesspiegel, the Berlin organising team had largely fallen apart for a time. Shortly afterwards, however, new members joined. The initiative "Gen Z regelt" emphasised the peaceful nature of the nationwide school student protests planned for Saturday 31 October. As the "Münchner Merkur" reported, citing "Die Zeit", 16-year-old co-organiser Konrad Schmitz from Wuppertal said, "We want to fight peacefully for our cause." He said he rejected extremism from both the left and the right. The 18-year-old co-founder Akram Selo also reported numerous threats in recent days. "They think we want to copy the French; they think we want to destroy the country." Up to 5 p.m. the protests at the Brandenburg Gate remained peaceful. Second demonstration at Rosenthaler Platz in the police spotlight Alongside the rally at the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin police are also focusing on another demonstration in the capital. Under the slogan "Gen Z has had enough!", a gathering is due to assemble at Rosenthaler Platz from 5.30 p.m. The police initially expect around 400 to 500 participants, though it cannot be ruled out that significantly more people will join the protest. The initiative "Gen Z regelt" has clearly distanced itself from this demonstration. Nevertheless, in the afternoon dozens of men and women at the Brandenburg Gate are handing out flyers pointing to the evening event. Neither the press team nor the stewards on site are stopping them. According to the assessment of the security authorities, the demonstration is being mobilised, among others, from the left wing political spectrum. Participants from the pro Palestine scene are also expected. The event is furthermore being promoted in the far left extremist milieu. The planned demonstration route leads from Rosenthaler Platz along Kastanienallee, Schönhauser Allee and Danziger Straße to Prenzlauer Allee suburban railway station. Euronews is on site and will report on the demonstration.