Mass youth protests against Merz government policies in Germany
Фото: Reuters
On Saturday, October 31, mass rallies by the “Gen Z regelt” youth movement against the policies of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government took place in several cities in Germany. In a number of cities, the protests escalated into clashes with the police, who used water cannons and pepper spray.
This is reported by DIE ZEIT .
The protesters demanded a lower cost of living, more funding for education, stronger climate protection, and an end to compulsory military service. They also opposed cuts to social security and called for the Chancellor to resign.
The largest demonstration in Berlin drew about 5,000 people. In Frankfurt am Main, about 8,000 people took to the streets, and in Cologne, several thousand. Overall, organizers expected 170,000 participants, but the actual number of protesters turned out to be smaller.
After mostly peaceful demonstrations, the situation in some cities escalated in the evening. In Cologne, police used water cannons after protesters started setting off fireworks. Law enforcement officials said they would not tolerate violence against emergency workers.
In Berlin, protesters threw bottles and eggs at police. In Hamburg, participants set barricades on fire, and in some places, police used pepper spray. In Frankfurt am Main, the march was temporarily suspended due to the launch of fireworks.
Organizers of the movement expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that the public discussion was focused on possible riots, rather than on the demands of young people. One of the organizers of the protest in Munich, 18-year-old activist Steve, emphasized that the participants wanted a discussion of the problems that concern them.
According to him, the movement calls for peaceful protests, without the use of force. At the same time, German authorities have warned of possible attempts by extremist groups to use the demonstrations for their own purposes.
The day before, protests took place in Barcelona, Lisbon and several cities in Italy , some of which were accompanied by clashes with police and damage to property. In Barcelona, 128 people were arrested, in Lisbon – 25, and in Portugal, the dismantling of protestors’ tent camps also led to arrests and injuries.
Recall that in France on October 24, 135 people were detained during nationwide protests, and the authorities deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes to maintain order . Amid the protests, sparked by dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living and the funding of public services, the “yellow vest” movement called for new demonstrations on October 31.
Earlier, on the evening of October 23, in Prague, several dozen protesters tried to force their way into the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament . Police stopped the attempt to break in, and no arrests were made after the incident.
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