Gen Z protests under way in Germany, thousands at Brandenburg Gate
Nationwide youth protests by "Gen Z regelt" are under way. An estimated few thousand people gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, Tagesspiegel reported. No incidents have been reported so far.
Archive image · Photo: Leonhard Lenz / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Nationwide protests by the initiative "Gen Z regelt" got under way on Saturday afternoon. Hundreds gathered at first at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, dpa reported; shortly after 2 p.m. Tagesspiegel estimated the crowd at a few thousand. The rally had been registered for 10,000 people. Organizers say more than 160,000 people nationwide have pledged to take part, with rallies planned in over 30 cities.
The initiative is calling for more funding for schools, action on rising living costs and more climate protection, and opposes conscription and expanded state surveillance. In Cologne, the rally was moved to the area around the cathedral because of high demand. Organizers have urged peaceful protest and rejected all violence.
Berlin police have deployed about 1,500 additional officers, partly because of Halloween night, and expect the protests to remain peaceful. No incidents or arrests had been reported by early afternoon.