Thousands of young people have joined protests across Germany, with demonstrations registered in 34 cities
Organizers said 120,000 took part, though the number has not been officially confirmed
Demonstrators demand better-funded schools, action on living costs, greater social justice and stronger climate protection, while opposing a possible return to military conscription
In Cologne, police canceled the planned march over covered faces and pyrotechnics; the gathering continued as a stationary rally on the Rhine riverbank
In Stuttgart, police repeatedly halted the march, citing covered faces, pyrotechnics and participants leaving the agreed route
Youth protests draw crowds across Germany
Youth protests draw crowds across Germany
Thousands of young people have joined the demonstrations in over 30 German cities, with police reporting largely peaceful protests.
Early police estimates included:
Berlin: Around 650 people gathered at the historic Brandenburg Gate
Frankfurt: More than 1,500 attended a rally near the European Central Bank.
Munich: Around 1,000 people attending the march
Mainz: Police counted around 1,200 participants, situation "peaceful"
Freiburg: Around 2,500 people attended, according to police.
Hundreds also gathered in Hamburg, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Dresden, Leipzig, Nuremberg, and elsehwere.
Retailers in several city centers had boarded up shop windows, particularly along luxury shopping streets, fearing unrest. Some shops were already closed for the Reformation Day public holiday.
No nationwide turnout figure was immediately available. More than 182,100 people had expressed interest in attending the events online.
Police say some 5,000 now gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
Following an initial estimate of several hundred people attending the rally in central Berlin, police said that some 5,000 people were now gathered at the Brandenburg Gate.
The organizers, "Gen Z regelt" (Gen Z sorts it) gave a much higher number, saying 10,000 people were in attendance.
One of the speakers in Berlin, Kaja Schwab, decried false promises made by politicians.
The youth is being told that "we will do well if we work hard enough." In reality, the life is getting unaffordable and the young are "forced into military service," she said, in reference to Germany's renewed recruitment drive.
German Gen Z protesters called out rising living expenses, remilitarization of Germany, and declining education.
Some of the protesters also called for Germany's current chancellor, center-right Friedrich Merz, to step down.
The protests were held under the slogan Gen Z regelt (Gen Z sorts it).
Police were out in force after many politicians warned that Germany will not tolerate the kind of violence seen in France in mid-October.
Police reported incidents in which pepper spray and water cannon were used to keep crowds under control, with protesters setting off fireworks and lighting fires.
But tensions remained high in some German cities with reports of several police officers injured.
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