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Generation Z youth in Germany began nationwide demonstrations. Businesses in Berlin closed their doors early due to concerns of a repeat of the riots in France. Police said there were no signs of large-scale looting but were still on alert.
Germany The youth of Generation Z have called for nationwide protests today. Inspired by recent demonstrations in France, thousands of shops were looted, and businesses in central Berlin were looted. Although police stressed that there were currently no signs of large-scale rioting, many stores “packed their bags” overnight, closed their windows in advance, and some even suspended operations.
Through Germany’s “Gen Z youth” (Gen Z Regelt)social media Simultaneous demonstrations were called for in several cities across Germany on the 31st, with demands including improving education, increasing investment in medical care, lowering the cost of living, and opposing conscription. Organizers said the event would be held peacefully, but there were still concerns over the background of the organization and the possibility of interference by radical groups in the demonstration.
This morning, in the Hackescher Markt area of Berlin’s famous shopping district, shops that originally used large floor-to-ceiling glass to display goods were gradually covered with wooden boards and black protective boards. Workers could be seen busy installing protective equipment at stores directly operated by Apple, sports brands Adidas, On and several clothing stores.
Lutz, who has owned local jewelry store Tukadu for 30 years, told the Central News Agency in an interview that he and his wife support the small store. After watching scenes of youth protests in Paris, he was worried that today’s demonstration in Berlin might turn into a riot after dark, so he decided to board up the store in advance to avoid breaking windows and looting.
Lutz said that the neighborhood where the store is located saw demonstrations a few years ago and that several store windows were damaged at that time, making him particularly concerned about the situation today.
Lutz said the store is typically open on Saturdays, an important business day of the week, but had to close today for safety reasons. Even if I sacrifice one day of business, I still hope to avoid greater losses through protective measures.
Not only small businesses, but even big chain brands have launched security projects.
George, a construction worker who was installing wooden boards outside Adidas stores in Berlin, told CNA that to prevent possible riots in Paris, he and his colleagues were tasked with installing protective boards for Adidas stores in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich.
George said construction teams were sent to different parts of Germany. From late last night to this morning, his team had completed the security of one store each in Hamburg and Frankfurt and two stores in Berlin. He and his colleagues made the entire journey from Dresden to Berlin and stayed awake almost all night.
In response to businesses’ concerns, Berlin police said they had indeed seen some people trying to use the French protests to call for conflict on the streets of Berlin. However, at the moment there are no signs that these calls have led to actual mobilization, and there is no specific evidence that anyone is planning to loot stores on a large scale.
Berlin police spokesman Jörn Iflander said the protest culture in Germany and France is different, and police did not expect violent riots of the same scale as in Berlin. However, given that today is Halloween and some people may use firecrackers and fireworks to cause trouble after dark, about 1,500 police officers are still deployed at the two main protest points of Brandenburger Tor and Rosenthaler Platz.
The protests by German youth have inspired a recent wave of demonstrations. Nationwide protests began in France on 17 October. Serious riots broke out in cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille. More than 3,000 shops were vandalized and looted by masked men, and arson and serious police-civilian clashes occurred. About 2,500 people were arrested. According to agency estimates, insurance companies have suffered losses of up to 1.2 billion euros (about 1.344 billion US dollars).
A similar situation happened in Italy. Demonstrations in Milan in mid-October were originally peaceful, but later turned into violent clashes. Masked men broke shop windows and looted merchandise, causing property damage worth millions of euros.
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Organizers called for simultaneous demonstrations in several cities through social media. Demands included improving education, increasing investment in medical care, lowering the cost of living, and opposing military conscription, and stressed that activities would be conducted peacefully.
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Store owners were concerned that the large-scale looting and destruction seen in recent demonstrations in France would happen again in Berlin, especially if it could get out of control after dark. Therefore, they sealed their windows with wooden boards and protective boards overnight, and some shops even directly closed their operations.
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Police said there was currently no evidence of large-scale rioting or looting, but acknowledged that some people were trying to incite conflict. Therefore, about 1,500 police officers were deployed at the Brandenburg Gate and Rosenthaler Square to prevent troubles on Halloween.
