German organizers raise turnout expectations
Germany's "Gen Z regelt" movement expects more than 160,000 people at rallies in 34 cities on Saturday, October 31. The German news agency dpa reported an organizers' forecast of more than 165,000. Those figures exceed an earlier AFP estimate of roughly 150,000 across about 30 cities.
Al Jazeera reported that around 150,000 people had registered for demonstrations in nearly 30 German cities, among them Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne. Authorities are preparing to reinforce police nationwide with thousands of additional officers. Some luxury jewelry and clothing retailers have covered their windows with boards, fearing vandalism, theft and violence.
German security authorities said they had no information indicating actual calls for violence at the demonstrations. The federal Interior Ministry nevertheless said sections of the left-wing extremist scene and isolated groups associated with foreign extremism were responding to calls to participate.
The movement's demands and reach
The German campaign's name means "Gen Z has got this!" Its grievances include expensive everyday necessities, deteriorating school buildings, government spending cuts and political choices that protesters say neglect younger generations. It also rejects compulsory military service, fears conscription could return, and seeks more investment in education, healthcare and social security, alongside action on climate change.
Organizers say the movement formed only a few weeks before the October 31 rallies and is coordinated by a 30-person central team. Although its website lists events in 34 cities, the group takes responsibility for organizing and setting the content of just four: Cologne, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
BSK, Germany's national umbrella organization for school students, has distanced itself from the initiative and plans its own protest day on November 20, 2026. Youth-led demonstrations have also appeared elsewhere in Europe in recent weeks, reflecting concerns about prices, educational standards and future opportunities.
France restricts protest locations and face coverings
In France, authorities are preparing for a fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations. Businesses in Paris and other major cities started boarding up on Friday. The weekend security plan calls for about 70,000 police officers nationwide and the closure of more than 40 Paris metro stations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the risk of disorder as "very high." He said demonstrations could proceed outside city centers, where authorities feared public disorder. In Paris, the police prefecture authorized only a march on the capital's outskirts.
Authorities also said demonstrators could not wear masks that cover their faces. Nuñez noted that France has prohibited face coverings in public since 2010 and said covering one's face during a violent protest carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a €15,000 fine.
Officials detected social media appeals for people to gather in public squares at about 8 p.m. local time Saturday. Some invoked a "night of darkness," "emerging from the shadows" and "revolution."
Earlier unrest weighs on French businesses
The French security preparations follow unrest on October 17, when protests over living costs and poor school conditions escalated into riots and looting in several cities. Thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. Despite stronger efforts to prevent violence, demonstrations continued the following weekend, with sporadic confrontations between police and protesters.
Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the French Chamber of Commerce, said roughly 3,000 business owners had suffered damage since the movement began in mid-September. He told France Inter: "Shopkeepers can't wait for Saturday to be over." Halloween masks added to owners' concerns, he said, because they could hinder identification of people involved in violence.
The French movement includes Yellow Vest activists, unions, and high school and university students. Its original demands concerned living costs, inequality and worsening learning conditions. Following the security crackdown, it also began seeking stronger safeguards for civil liberties and the right to demonstrate.
The protests come amid mounting political tensions, with presidential elections about six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen ahead in opinion polls.
