The German federal government is observing attempts by extremist groups to insert themselves into the planned mass demonstrations scheduled for Saturday. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior in Berlin on Wednesday, parts of the left-wing extremist scene and specific groups linked to foreign-related extremism are expected to pick up the calls for demonstrations and participate in the mobilization.
The official organizers, however, maintain that the protests are intended to be peaceful, according to the government spokesperson. Furthermore, the government is noting that there have been explicit declarations of distance regarding “the violent confrontations observed and that took place in the past during similar protests abroad.”
Deputy government spokesperson Sebastian Hille also stated on Wednesday that it is necessary to differentiate between legitimate protest and potential violence, calling riots “absolutely unacceptable.” He noted that a substantive assessment of the events on Saturday must wait until after the protests occur.
The initiative “Gen Z regelt” (Gen Z regulates) has called for demonstrations in 32 cities starting at 2 PM on Saturday. The demands include measures against damaged schools, rising living costs, what it terms “an unfair distribution of burdens,” and climate change. The protest calls also include opposing conscription and the continuous expansion of surveillance apparatuses.
These demands mirror those of protests that have begun in countries such as France and Italy, which have recently resulted in outbreaks of sometimes severe civil unrest.
