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BERLIN, GERMANY - OCT. 31, 2026: Incidents broke out during demonstrations in several German cities, where young people protested cuts to social spending, rising living costs and the government's military service regulations.
The youth initiative "Gen Z regelt" organized demonstrations in more than 30 cities across Germany, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne.
Following a demonstration held in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the capital Berlin, protesters gathered at Rosenthaler Square.
The protesters later marched toward the Prenzlauer Berg district, where they lit smoke bombs and set off firecrackers.
The march ended near the Prenzlauer Allee train station.
Police intervened forcefully against the protesters there. A scuffle broke out between protesters and police.
Police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters and detained a large number of people.
According to reports in the German media, incidents also broke out in Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, in addition to Berlin. Police used water cannon vehicles against protesters in these cities.
In Hamburg, protesters set up barricades and set them on fire.
In Frankfurt, police ended the demonstration, intervened against participants with pepper spray and detained a large number of people.
In a statement posted on its account on the US-based social media platform X, Frankfurt police said protesters had thrown stones and fireworks at police, and that at least one officer had been injured.
At a demonstration in Cologne, police ended the protest because some demonstrators had covered their faces and thrown fireworks. Incidents broke out afterward. Police intervened against hundreds of people who wanted to head toward the city center.
In Nuremberg, police prevented a group from continuing to march after a demonstration attended by around 2,000 people had ended. Police detained around 100 people there.
Police monitored demonstrations in multiple cities using helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.