Thousands of young protesters across Germany participated in demonstrations on Sunday, voicing discontent with political leaders and a range of socio-economic issues affecting their generation. The rallies, organised by the youth group “GenZ regelt!” (GenZ has got this!), took place in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, and others, reflecting a wider pattern of youth-led protests seen in several European countries such as France and Italy.

Authorities deployed thousands of police officers nationwide in anticipation of possible unrest, and some businesses boarded up windows as a precaution. While isolated incidents of fireworks and arrests were reported, the protests were largely peaceful by early evening.

Demonstrators carried signs with messages like “Time for resistance” and “Merz must go,” targeting Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservative government. Veronika Dinter, a spokeswoman for “GenZ regelt!”, said the protests aimed to highlight the challenges faced by young people, including rising living costs, deteriorating educational infrastructure, cuts to government spending, and what they perceive as a lack of political consideration for their generation’s future. The group also expressed concern over recent increases in military spending and a new voluntary service initiative intended to bolster troop numbers, fearing it could lead to the reintroduction of mandatory conscription.

Despite organisers reporting more than 170,000 registered participants nationwide prior to the demonstrations, actual turnout appeared significantly lower in many cities. Police in Cologne indicated attendance was well below the 15,000 expected, while Berlin saw approximately 2,700 protesters, Munich about 1,800, and Frankfurt roughly 1,000.

The timing of the protests, coinciding with Halloween, raised concerns among authorities about potential violence similar to incidents in other European countries. German officials maintained ongoing communication with counterparts in France and Italy, aiming to prevent foreign extremist elements from disrupting the events. However, security agencies reported no concrete evidence of planned violent actions in advance of the demonstrations.

“GenZ regelt!” has publicly condemned violence and extremist behaviour, emphasizing that their movement does not tolerate anti-constitutional symbols, racism, hate speech, or any form of extremism from any political direction.