German students to protest social spending cuts, military conscription plans Saturday
- Organizers say nearly 175,000 people register for demonstrations in more than 30 cities, while police prepare for possible unrest
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- Organizers say nearly 175,000 people register for demonstrations in more than 30 cities, while police prepare for possible unrest
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - Tens of thousands of students are expected to protest across Germany on Saturday against social spending cuts and plans to revive military conscription, organizers said.
The demonstrations, organized by a new youth initiative called Gen Z Regelt, or Gen Z handles it, will also demand increased education funding and measures to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Major marches are planned in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, with additional protests scheduled in 29 other cities.
Nearly 175,000 people have registered online to participate in the demonstrations, according to the organizers.
The initiative, made up of high school and university students, said on its website that it rejects violence and intends 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.
- Several student groups distance themselves from protest call
Despite initial backing from several youth groups, some organizations distanced themselves from the protest call last week.
The country’s largest student organization, the BSK, and the Jusos, the youth wing of the center-left Social Democrats, cited a lack of transparency.
They described the initiative as a loose internet-based coalition, noting that it was unclear who was behind the call and that organizers were hard to reach ahead of local events.
- Police prepare for possible unrest
German police announced plans for a heavy presence in several cities ahead of Saturday's demonstrations.
Shop owners and boutique operators began boarding up their businesses, with several luxury stores in central Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne covered with wooden boards.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, police, the Interior Ministry and the domestic intelligence agency were placed on high alert.
About 44,000 people registered through the initiative's website for demonstrations in the state, including in Cologne, Duesseldorf and Dortmund, according to the organizers.
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul said demonstrations were legitimate but warned that authorities would not tolerate extremist groups exploiting the protests to commit violence.
"The images from France and Italy are shocking. Individual left-wing extremists apparently now want to mobilize here as well," Reul told local media.
"Anyone who abuses protests in North Rhine-Westphalia to organize hate and chaos will encounter a police force that pushes back robustly. We will not accept a marauding mob destroying our cities," he added.
Ayhan Şimşek