What else is there to do on your Erasmus year but travel? If it weren’t for the riots, I could go shopping in Strasbourg or take one of those cheap flights to Bratislava. However, I should probably be cautious after last month’s anti-government demonstrations. I could always just shop on the high street, but perhaps I should stay home because of the protests in town tonight.
All of Europe is unhappy, but why, and with whom?
GenZ-Regelt, or GenZ-Rules, held mass Halloween protests across Germany. Instead of going to the club, young people took their Maverick and black-cat costumes to the streets. Walking back from the Library, there were ten police vans lined up next to one another, filled with anti-riot gear and tear gas. While no riots broke out in Freiburg, in other cities like Frankfurt and Cologne some protesters were ‘gewaltsbereit’ – prepared for violence. Molotov cocktails, fireworks, attacks on key workers, and police officers: is Germany back in the 1960s?
It seems this mass coalition of single-issue groups has formed for the same reasons as most recent political organisations: the people they represent feel ignored. The left is not immune to populism. The young left are finding their political identity on the street and away from the establishment.
While peaceful protesters were the majority, it’s hard to push the images of police arresting demonstrators dressed as Batman out of your mind. In Frankfurt, police took 30 people into custody. In Cologne, around 200 people were involved in throwing bottles and bikes at police officers. In Berlin, 27 suffered minor injuries after being attacked by fireworks and stones.
Merz’s usually straight tie must have been crooked and creased after this weekend. After deliberating on how to stop this European pandemic of rage and revolt spreading to Germany, his only solution was not to do much.
“Violence has no place on our streets, and my government will not tolerate it.”
Weak words followed by even weaker action. However, what tangible action could Merz take to satiate these demands?
GenZ-Regelt opposes proposals to reinstate the draft, the failing school system, climate change and much more. Despite not mentioning Palestine on their website, Free Palestine protesters marched alongside them.
While these protesters were physically united in the streets, it’s hard to tell what else unites them. They are a Venn diagram with too many sets; these protesters can’t share a single political identity.
Gen Z has been ostracised from traditional means of political mobilisation. Policy does not bring them together; their rage does. And without complete political upheaval, European governments will be unable to exorcise this spirit. Further riots and increasing violence should thus be seen as a natural consequence of a dissatisfied generation.
Photo by Tito Texidor III on Unsplash
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Freiburg to Frankfurt: The rise of Europe’s youth protests
What else is there to do on your Erasmus year but travel? If it weren’t for the riots, I could go shopping in Strasbourg or take one of those cheap flights to Bratislava. However, I should probably be cautious after last month’s anti-government demonstrations. I could always just shop on the high street, but perhaps I should stay home because of the protests in town tonight.
All of Europe is unhappy, but why, and with whom?
GenZ-Regelt, or GenZ-Rules, held mass Halloween protests across Germany. Instead of going to the club, young people took their Maverick and black-cat costumes to the streets. Walking back from the Library, there were ten police vans lined up next to one another, filled with anti-riot gear and tear gas. While no riots broke out in Freiburg, in other cities like Frankfurt and Cologne some protesters were ‘gewaltsbereit’ – prepared for violence. Molotov cocktails, fireworks, attacks on key workers, and police officers: is Germany back in the 1960s?
It seems this mass coalition of single-issue groups has formed for the same reasons as most recent political organisations: the people they represent feel ignored. The left is not immune to populism. The young left are finding their political identity on the street and away from the establishment.
While peaceful protesters were the majority, it’s hard to push the images of police arresting demonstrators dressed as Batman out of your mind. In Frankfurt, police took 30 people into custody. In Cologne, around 200 people were involved in throwing bottles and bikes at police officers. In Berlin, 27 suffered minor injuries after being attacked by fireworks and stones.
Merz’s usually straight tie must have been crooked and creased after this weekend. After deliberating on how to stop this European pandemic of rage and revolt spreading to Germany, his only solution was not to do much.
“Violence has no place on our streets, and my government will not tolerate it.”
Weak words followed by even weaker action. However, what tangible action could Merz take to satiate these demands?
Why must we justify our presence to you?
GenZ-Regelt opposes proposals to reinstate the draft, the failing school system, climate change and much more. Despite not mentioning Palestine on their website, Free Palestine protesters marched alongside them.
While these protesters were physically united in the streets, it’s hard to tell what else unites them. They are a Venn diagram with too many sets; these protesters can’t share a single political identity.
Gen Z has been ostracised from traditional means of political mobilisation. Policy does not bring them together; their rage does. And without complete political upheaval, European governments will be unable to exorcise this spirit. Further riots and increasing violence should thus be seen as a natural consequence of a dissatisfied generation.
Photo by Tito Texidor III on Unsplash
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