Berlin braces for protest Saturday: up to 10,000 expected at Brandenburg Gate
A "Gen Z regelt" rally starts at 2 p.m., and police see little potential for conflict. They rate an evening march at Rosenthaler Platz as more critical. On Halloween, known trouble spots are in focus.
Symbolic image · Photo: Dickelbers / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A rally by the "Gen Z regelt" initiative is set to begin at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Up to 10,000 participants are expected, a figure police consider realistic. Mostly school pupils, students and parents are expected, and police see little potential for conflict. "I assume it will be relaxed," a spokesman for the nationwide initiative told dpa.
Police are more concerned about a demonstration at Rosenthaler Platz in the Mitte district from 5:30 p.m., where 400 to 500 people, possibly more, are expected. Police say the organizer belongs to the left-wing spectrum and that participants from the pro-Palestinian scene are expected. About 1,500 extra officers are on duty, and water cannons are on standby.
Because of Halloween, police plan a strong presence after dark at known hot spots, including the High-Deck estate and Gropiusstadt in Neukölln, the Steinmetzkiez and the Märkisches Viertel, and expect fireworks to be used. "We have no concrete indications of any coordinated looting," Police President Barbara Slowik Meisel said.