Berlin student protests: youth demands meet extremist mobilisation
According to police, around 5,000 people joined a demonstration by the initiative "Gen Z regelt" at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. In the afternoon, organisers claimed some 11,000 participants had taken part.
On Saturday, a protest rally organized by the youth initiative "Gen Z regelt" took place in Berlin, with demonstrators calling for increased investment in education and an end to rearmament. The rally, which began at 2 p.m., was held at the Brandenburg Gate and featured pro-Palestine activists, flags, and slogans. Some shops on Unter den Linden, Friedrichstraße, and Kurfürstendamm put up barricades to prevent potential looting.
Pro-Palestine activists displayed Palestinian flags and slogans, including "Flunked the PISA test but passed the military medical" and "Stop the genocide in Gaza." Some young men and women present wore the red or black Palestinian scarf, known as the kufiya, around their necks, heads, or as capes.
One young woman, aged 19 to 20, explained that she participated in solidarity with the protests in France and to highlight that young people feel ignored by politicians. She emphasized that the militarization and rearmament in Germany leave no money for education and social spending. A chemistry student at Freie Universität (FU) also attended, stating that universities face budget cuts, rising rents, and side jobs to make ends meet.
He criticized the university for its cooperation projects with Israel, expressing his desire to stop supporting war products and genocide.
The protest is part of a larger movement across Europe, with similar demonstrations reported in France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Critics in Germany, however, claim that some radical groups, such as Linksjugend and Revolutionäre Linke, were present at the demonstration. These groups have faced accusations of antisemitism and have been accused of opposing social spending in favor of the Bundeswehr.
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