French and German protests planned as cost of living anger spreads

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 00:51 · Archive

Demonstrators in France and Germany are planning protests this weekend against high living costs and poor public services.

Demonstrators are planning major protests across France and Germany this weekend as discontent over the cost of living and poor public services spreads across Europe. In France, people will take to the streets for the third Saturday running, having demonstrated for the previous two weeks. German activists from a group called 'Gen Z regelt' (Gen Z is sorting it) have organised protests in over 30 cities including Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne, with approximately 150,000 people registered to participate.

The protesters' demands centre on better funding for education, lower living costs and improved public services. In Germany, the movement is also calling for more climate protection spending and opposing any plans to return to mandatory military service. The demonstrations are part of a broader wave of youth-led protests that has swept Europe in recent weeks, affecting Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France.

Police have mobilised extensively ahead of the weekend. France's interior minister has warned of a 'very high risk' of disorder and deployed 70,000 police officers nationwide, with over 40 metro stations in Paris to be closed and face-covering masks banned at demonstrations. In Germany, Berlin's police chief said she would deploy an additional 1,500 officers, though she said she had no concrete evidence of coordinated looting being planned.

Earlier French demonstrations descended into rioting and looting in city centres, prompting shops and businesses to board up windows in Paris and other cities. In Germany too, some luxury jewellery shops and clothing stores have boarded up windows. A German ruling party politician warned that scenes like those in France 'must be prevented at all costs', but opposition figures cautioned against rhetoric that pre-emptively criminalises the protests.

How it is being reported

• Germany and France brace for protests on Halloween weekendA wave of youth-led protests has swept Europe, with demonstrators denouncing rising prices and a lack of prospects.Al Jazeera · 31 Oct, 00:17
• Cost of living protests to spread to Germany and reignite in France on HalloweenActivists call for people to make their anger known over poor public services including education and housing Europe live – latest updates Street protests sweeping Europe are expected to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday, with police mobilised to stop potential looting and rioting on the fringes of what organisers hope will be peaceful rallies. Weeks of, at times violent, student demonstrations have rocked Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France, where activists on Halloween have again called for people to make their anger over the cost of living and deficient public…The Guardian · 30 Oct, 14:42
• Third weekend of protests looms as tensions persist across FranceFor the third Saturday in a row, people across France are set to take to the streets to protest against the high cost of living and demand better funding for education. Police are preparing for all eventualities ahead of another weekend of protests, following earlier demonstrations that ended in rioting and looting in city centres.France 24 · 30 Oct, 14:10

In this story: France · Germany · Gen Z regelt · Barbara Slowik Meisel · Alexander Throm · Felix Banaszak

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