Scuffles break out between police and protesters at Gen Z rally in Berlin

BERLIN, GERMANY - OCT. 31, 2026: Scuffles broke out between protesters and police during the Gen Z demonstration in Berlin on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of students took part in protests across Germany against social spending cuts and plans to reintroduce compulsory military service, according to organizers.

The demonstrations, organized by a new youth initiative called Gen Z Regelt, or Gen Z handles it, also demands increased education funding and measures to address the cost-of-living crisis.

Protests were held in major cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, as well as 29 other cities.

Nearly 175,000 people had registered online to take part in the demonstrations, according to the organizers.

The initiative, which brings together high school and university students, said on its website that it rejected violence and intended to hold peaceful marches.

The group criticized cuts to social spending, the government’s handling of the climate crisis and what it described as a failure to address young people’s concerns about wars and conflicts.

It also opposed plans to revive military conscription and called for greater investment in education.