BERLIN — Youth-led protests reached Germany on Saturday, as thousands of people marched in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Hamburg and more than 30 other cities in the latest stage of a wave of cost-of-living demonstrations that has spread across Europe, AFP reported.
Source: AFP, October 31, 2026
The demonstrations were organised by the group 'GenZ regelt!' — 'Gen Z has got this'. Its complaints include the high cost of living, poorly maintained and underfunded schools, government spending cuts and a possible reintroduction of mandatory military service, according to AFP and CNN.
Source: CNN, October 31, 2026
Mostly peaceful by day, tense by evening
Thousands of police were deployed across the country and the main demonstrations were largely peaceful, the German police union said. Its federal representative Andreas Rosskopf told the Rheinische Post newspaper that the protests themselves had been 'very peaceful' and blamed groups of masked and radical activists for incidents that broke out after the events had ended, dpa reported.
Source: dpa via Ekkow, October 31, 2026
In Cologne, one of the biggest demonstrations, police fired water cannon to disperse a crowd after saying protesters had targeted officers with fireworks, AFP reported. Cologne police said: 'We will not tolerate violence against emergency workers.' In Berlin, protesters hurled bottles and eggs, barricades were set ablaze in Hamburg and police used pepper spray in some places, according to AFP and dpa.
Source: AFP, October 31, 2026
In Frankfurt, several officers were injured by firecrackers thrown by some individuals, Hesse's interior minister Roman Poseck said, according to dpa. Hamburg's march drew about 6,700 people and passed without major incident before disturbances were reported near the central station, dpa reported.
Source: dpa via Ekkow, October 31, 2026
Why it matters beyond Germany
The German rallies were timed for Halloween and followed weeks of youth-led protests elsewhere in Europe over living costs, housing, education and military spending. For families with relatives studying or working in Europe — including many Punjabi students and workers in Germany — the unrest is a reminder that the cost-of-living pressure behind the marches is being felt in the same cities where living costs have risen fastest.
Source: CNN, October 31, 2026
Police remained on alert overnight on Saturday, although no major property damage had been reported, dpa said.
Source: dpa via Ekkow, October 31, 2026