IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Police in the city fear that radical forces could infiltrate the announced nationwide day of protest on October 31. Police spokesman Florian Nath explained that there are attempts to exploit the student protests for their own purposes. “We will not allow that,” the spokesman said. “We will carefully examine whether these are legitimate student protests or whether someone is simply trying to use the Halloween backdrop for their own gain.”
The initiative ‘Gen Z Stands Up’ is calling for protests in numerous German cities on October 31st. According to the organisers, the protests will focus on issues such as education, affordable living and rejecting conscription. “We clearly distance ourselves from any kind of violence,” co-initiator Akram Selo told the German Press Agency. The demonstrations are intended to be peaceful.
The police union (GdP) in Berlin spoke of a “major demolition” for which the security authorities were preparing. “They are considering possible scenarios, also because the images from France are causing us great concern, and we are talking about Halloween night, when fireworks are already commonly used on our streets,” explained GdP state chairman Stephan Weh.
Young people must be able to demonstrate peacefully for their demands, Weh emphasised. “But we must be extremely careful that radical forces do not co-opt democratic protest, as in France, use it to act out violent fantasies, abuse freedom of assembly and fuel the narrative of a police force hostile to citizens.”