Youth protest | Gen Z in Cologne: Police stop demonstration

Police officers and demonstrators faced each other in Cologne on Saturday. Photo: dpa/Thomas Banneyer Several thousand people gathered on Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer in Cologne on Saturday afternoon under the motto “Gen Z regulates”. They followed the call of the initiative of the same name, which had mobilized protests in several cities on that day. Within three weeks, more than 160,000 people had registered for the demonstrations via the organizers' website. The largest rally was to take place in Cologne with almost 15,000 registrations.

From 2 p.m. the Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer was filled with demonstrators. Thousands were there at the start. In addition to many young people, children and older people also took part, showing solidarity with the demands of the youth protest. In his speech, a Cologne student criticized the ailing school system and called for more say for young people in politics. A representative of the Left Center Cologne took aim at the capitalist economic system and its unfair profit logic.

Numerous left-wing organizations from Cologne took part in the protest. Among those represented were activists from the Left Party and the Left Youth, Young Struggle and the International Youth as well as various internationalist groups. Emma Hübner, press spokeswoman for the “Gen Z regulates” initiative, told the “nd”: “We are demonstrating for better education, against cuts in the social and health system, against the reintroduction of compulsory military service and for more investment in climate protection.” It is important to listen to the youth, she explained. After all, it is the future.

The protest was preceded by a series of warnings and public safety concerns. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in North Rhine-Westphalia explained that “actors from the left-wing extremist spectrum and from foreign-related extremism are mobilizing for the protests.”

Jochen Kopelke, chairman of the police union (GdP), warned in advance that "riot migrants who are keen on violence against the police" could mingle with the demonstrators. The “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” also reported on shop windows that had been barricaded with wooden boards.

On Saturday night there were house searches in Neuss and Düsseldorf. Four men were arrested. They are accused of conspiring to commit violent acts. Whether there is a connection to the protests is the subject of ongoing investigations.

The nationwide organizers had announced in advance that they wanted to take their demands peacefully to the streets. Lea Reisner, member of the Bundestag for the Left Party, appealed at the rally in Cologne: "It is very, very important that young people are not deterred by this defamatory reporting of the last few weeks, but instead take to the streets in thousands today and demonstrate for their rights, their right to the future."

David also came to set an example: "I want politicians to act in the interests of the population and not in the interests of profit and companies," he told the "nd". He doesn't expect violence from demonstrators.

However, the police were on site with a large contingent from the start. She repeatedly delayed the start of the protest because individual participants were said to have masked up. Until then, the rally remained peaceful. Towards the end, however, individuals repeatedly set off pyrotechnics. Police forces in full gear then began to cordon off the demonstration. The protest march was not allowed to start and the mood continued to heat up. Shortly before 4 p.m., the organizers finally canceled the demonstration. But not everyone wanted to accept this: some young people continued their protest into the evening.

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