Gen Z protests sweep Germany over living costs, education, Frankfurt sees looting

Gen Z-led demonstrations across Germany drew thousands, with looting reported in Frankfurt. The rallies highlighted demands over public services, living costs and compulsory military service.Members of the riot control police unit run, during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge) against underfunding of schools, cuts to education and rising living costs in Frankfurt, Germany. (Reuters)Hooded demonstrators looted shops in Frankfurt on Saturday night as protests over education funding, rising living costs and compulsory military service drew tens of thousands of people onto the streets of Germany's major cities.The demonstrations, organised by the campaign group "Gen Z regelt" — meaning "Gen Z takes charge" — were held in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The protests were part of a wider wave of youth-led demonstrations across Europe this year, with young people demanding greater economic security and better public services.Saturday's demonstrations came amid a broader wave of Gen Z-led protests across Europe this year. In Serbia, student activism played a key role in unseating the country's longtime leader through elections, while demonstrations in France have escalated into incidents of rioting and looting.In Frankfurt, at least two stores were looted and several others damaged as the demonstrations turned violent, a Reuters witness reported. Police struggled to contain the unrest in the city centre. "Violent disturbances are continuing," Frankfurt police said in a post on X. "In the city centre, windows have been smashed at several shops. Molotov cocktails are also being thrown at the emergency services. We urge all bystanders to avoid the city centre or to leave the area."In Hamburg, some barricades were set on fire. German authorities said most demonstrations had remained peaceful but warned that extremist groups could try to exploit the gatherings.PROTESTERS DEMAND BETTER EDUCATION, OPPOSE MILITARY SERVICE The campaign has brought together young people opposed to compulsory military service and calling for more investment in education, healthcare and other public services. Many say they are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living in Europe's largest economy."We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion," Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said at a rally in Berlin."What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden."The turnout appeared to fall short of organisers' initial expectations. They had projected 182,000 participants, while police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin put the combined number at around 18,000 — roughly half the 36,000 claimed on the campaign's website.AUTHORITIES WARN AGAINST EXTREMIST INFLUENCEGermany's federal interior ministry said sections of the far-left extremist scene and some groups linked to foreign extremist movements had joined efforts to mobilise support around the demonstrations.Roman Poseck, interior minister of Hesse state, whose capital is Frankfurt, warned against the unrest seen in France, where youth-led protests have at times escalated into looting and attacks."We all have those images from France in our minds — looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers," Poseck said."France must not be held up as a model in this regard."Several businesses in German cities had taken precautions ahead of the rallies, boarding up shopfronts and planning to shut early. The measures included stores along Berlin's upmarket Kurfuerstendamm shopping boulevard.YOUNG PROTESTERS VOICE FRUSTRATION WITH GOVERNMENTThe organisers have framed the demonstrations as a response to what they describe as the growing financial and social pressures facing younger generations. Germany has struggled to restore economic growth while also confronting mounting pressure on pensions and public services as baby boomers retire and the working-age population declines."The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us," said Steve, an 18-year-old who was due to address a rally in Munich, speaking directly to Chancellor Friedrich Merz."We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us."However, questions have emerged over who is behind the campaign and how representative it is of young people, given the involvement of a wide range of political and civil society groups. Germany's national umbrella organisation for school students, BSK, has distanced itself from the initiative and announced plans for a separate protest day on November 20.In Berlin, student Sean Baker said he planned to join the demonstrations to highlight deteriorating conditions at his university."When you go inside and enter the rooms, it looks like an abandoned building," said Baker, a student at the Technical University of Berlin. "Yet this is where we're expected to study on a regular basis."- EndsWith inputs from Reuters