'Teens shouldn't have to protest': Germany's Gen Z rallies against conscription and cuts end in clashes

Tens of thousands of young Germans marched in more than 30 cities against military conscription, rising rents and social cuts. Evening protests in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt turned violent, and police made dozens of arrests.

Young people took to the streets in more than 30 German cities on Saturday in protests called by "Gen Z regelt" (roughly, "Gen Z sorts it out"), a youth initiative demanding better schools, affordable rents and more money for health care, while rejecting the government's return to military conscription and its social spending cuts.

Organizers told the German news agency DPA that more than 100,000 people took part nationwide. In Berlin, police estimated about 5,000 people at the main rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate; organizers put the figure at 10,000.

'Forced into military service'

Kaja Schwab, the group's Berlin spokeswoman, accused politicians of broken promises and said the young generation was being "forced into military service," the Berliner Zeitung reported. Among its demands, the initiative calls for more funding for addiction services and psychotherapy for young people.

The protests drew reactions across the political spectrum. Social Democratic deputy parliamentary leader Dagmar Schmidt called for a national education summit and said the rallies were "a clear signal that we take very seriously."

Riot police face protesters at a nighttime Gen Z rally in Germany (AA)

Pepper spray, water cannons and arrests

Although most rallies were peaceful, several turned violent after dark. In Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district, a separate evening march from which the organizers had distanced themselves ended with police using pepper spray; 56 people were detained, according to police figures cited by local media. About 1,500 officers were deployed in the capital.

In Hamburg, protesters set barricades on fire and police used water cannons. Frankfurt police said demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at officers, injuring at least one, and smashed the windows of a gun shop, where two weapons were seized. In Cologne, bottles and bicycles were thrown at police in front of the cathedral, and about 100 people were detained in Nuremberg. The group plans its next protest for Nov. 20.

Photos and video: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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