Germany Gen Z protests live: thousands rally at Brandenburg Gate against conscription and cuts

**Watch:** Germany's Gen Z protests, explained in under three minutes: what the protesters want, the extremism warnings, and why it matters.

**Analysis:** Germany is the latest country caught up in this year's Gen Z protests. In Serbia, student-led activism helped unseat the long-time leader at the ballot box; in France, protests have turned to rioting and looting. Rallies were also reported in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain today.

For India, which watches Europe's rearmament closely, Germany matters most. Europe's largest economy is pouring money into its armed forces while debating a return to mandatory service, and today the generation that would be asked to serve took that argument to the streets.

The rally at the Brandenburg Gate stayed peaceful through the afternoon. A separate evening march in Berlin, starting at Rosenthaler Platz at 5.30 pm local time (10 pm IST) under the slogan "Gen Z has had enough!", has been disowned by Gen Z regelt. Police expected 400 to 500 people at it.

In Cologne, police called off the planned Gen Z regelt procession after some participants covered their faces and set off pyrotechnics.

"The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us," said Steve, an 18-year-old due to speak at a rally in Munich, addressing Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us."

The Berlin rally at the Brandenburg Gate began at 2 pm local time (6.30 pm IST). After an initial estimate of several hundred, police said about 5,000 people had gathered. Organisers put the figure at 10,000, and later at 11,000.

Placards set guns against classrooms: "Flunked the PISA test but passed the military medical" and "Money for social causes instead of war". Pro-Palestine flags and slogans were also prominent in the crowd.

The initiative goes into the day divided. Its former spokesperson, Gianni Matheja, quit, citing differences within the movement and doubts that the protests would stay peaceful. The national school-student body, BSK, has kept its distance and plans its own protest on 20 November.

"We want to fight peacefully for our cause," said Konrad Schmitz, a 16-year-old co-organiser from Wuppertal. Co-founder Akram Selo, 18, said he had received numerous threats: "They think we want to copy the French; they think we want to destroy the country."

Authorities expect the day, which falls on Halloween, to be largely peaceful, but they are braced for trouble. The federal interior ministry says parts of Germany's far-left extremist scene and groups linked to foreign extremist movements have joined efforts to mobilise support.

Berlin has readied about 1,500 police officers, backed by federal police. Shops on the Kurfürstendamm, Unter den Linden and Friedrichstraße have boarded up their windows.

"We all have those images from France in our minds - looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers," said Roman Poseck, interior minister of the state of Hesse. "France must not be held up as a model in this regard."

The wave of youth protests sweeping Europe has reached Germany. The youth initiative Gen Z regelt (roughly, "Gen Z takes charge") has called rallies in 34 cities today, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Organisers say more than 1,60,000 people are expected.

Its stated demands: more money for schools and climate protection, affordable living costs, and no compulsory military service.