The key facts
- Youth protests on October 31 took place in 34 German cities, with 184,400 people registered
- Demonstrators protested against the possible return of compulsory military service, rising prices, and problems in education
- In Berlin, 27 police officers were injured (all with minor injuries) and more than 60 people were detained
A poster addressed to the chancellor
A participant of a youth demonstration in Berlin held up a poster with an obscene slogan addressed to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to RIA Novosti, this was how the young woman responded to a journalist's question about young people's grievances with the German authorities. First, the agency's interlocutor expressed support for the participants of demonstrations in France, noting that French youth were protesting against cuts to social guarantees and a declining standard of living. According to her, people in Germany face similar problems. When the journalist asked her to specify her grievances with Merz directly, the protester unfurled a banner: on its back was a handwritten slogan containing an obscene message to the chancellor.
Scale of the protests and clashes in Berlin
Youth protests on October 31 covered 34 German cities; 184,400 people registered to take part. Demonstrators spoke out against the possible return of compulsory military service, rising prices, and problems in the education system. The daytime rally of the Gen Z regelt movement near the Brandenburg Gate passed mostly peacefully, but in the evening clashes broke out during a separate march by left-wing radicals: protesters threw bottles, eggs, and pyrotechnics at police officers. During the mass demonstrations in Berlin 27 police officers were injured, all of them sustained minor injuries and were able to continue their duties; law enforcement detained more than 60 people. Police recorded cases of property damage, resistance to police, and violations of public order.
