Berlin shops board up windows ahead of planned Gen Z protests across Germany

BERLIN, GERMANY - OCT. 30: Some shops in Berlin, Germany, covered their windows with wooden panels on Friday, Oct. 30, as a precaution ahead of nationwide youth demonstrations planned for Saturday by the initiative “Gen Z regelt” (Gen Z Takes Charge).

Storefronts along Kurfurstendamm, one of the German capital's major shopping streets, were boarded up to prevent potential damage during the planned protests.

A growing culture of protest and resistance has been taking shape among young people in Germany.

Following a series of blockades at high schools, members of Generation Z – teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 30 – will take to the streets on Saturday.

The newly founded initiative, Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge), has called for a protest at the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

More than 154,000 people have registered for the protest, according to the group's website.

Similar demonstrations are planned in 30 other cities across Germany, with protesters opposing cuts to education and social services, as well as mandatory military service.