Before new education protests scheduled for next week, Grünen leader Felix Banaszak warned against allowing young demonstrators to be characterized as having slipped into chaos. Banaszak told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger that it is completely wrong to summarize the education protests by focusing only on isolated incidents or events that occurred afterward.
He added that young people, who contribute much and have good arguments, must not be labeled as hooligans and chaotics. Continuing, the Grünen leader stated that those who do so should not be surprised by the political disillusionment of young people.
He criticized politics for repeating the mistake made with Fridays for Future. Banaszak argued that there was a long discussion about whether people should be allowed to take to the streets instead of being in class. Subsequently, their demands were dismissed as illusions. Because of this, Banaszak stated, young people no longer feel represented by the state and established parties.
Several groups have called for new protests on November 20, including the Bundesschülerkonferenz, Fridays for Future, and Gen Z regelt. Gen Z regelt had already organized protests for October 31, during which incidents involving violence took place in cities such as Frankfurt and Cologne.
