Key facts
- Protests over cost of living and public services expected in Germany and France on Saturday.
- Authorities deploying significant police forces in both countries to prevent violence.
- German groups demand more spending on schools, climate, housing, and oppose military service.
- French authorities have banned central Paris marches due to public disorder risks.
- Radical groups have called for violent Halloween gatherings in France.
Street protests concerning the cost of living and public services are anticipated to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday. Authorities in both nations are mobilising substantial police forces to mitigate potential violence and looting on the periphery of planned peaceful demonstrations.
In Germany, a coalition of groups known as 'Gen Z regelt' has organised rallies in over 30 cities. Protesters are demanding increased investment in education, climate protection, and housing, while also opposing any reintroduction of mandatory military service. Berlin's police chief stated that an additional 1,500 officers would be deployed in the capital, although no concrete evidence of coordinated looting operations has been found.
France faces a 'very high risk' day, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who announced the deployment of 70,000 police and gendarmes. Radical groups have reportedly used social media to incite violent Halloween gatherings, with some messages calling for 'revolution'. While peaceful demonstrations will be permitted, many will not be allowed in city centres where public disorder is a risk. Last Saturday, 410,000 people marched across France, with a significant police presence largely preventing a repeat of earlier widespread violence and looting.