Radical protest | Gen Z is also getting up in Germany

There has been anger on the streets of Paris for weeks that has long gone beyond selective criticism of school reforms. This does not stop at the German national borders. Photo: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of angry youth. A look at Albania, Belgium or neighboring France shows how quickly social frustration, structural neglect and political alienation can turn into mass protests. For weeks now, an anger has been erupting on the streets of Paris that has long gone beyond selective criticism of school reforms: it is the uprising of a generation that feels how its livelihoods, its educational opportunities and its future are being sacrificed on the altar of state crisis management and geopolitical rearmament.

But the dynamic does not stop at the German national borders. In this country too, resentment is forming that can no longer be contained behind the school desks. The reasons are obvious: school buildings that have been falling into disrepair for years, crumbling plaster in the classrooms, a historic shortage of teachers, canceled lessons and dramatically deteriorating educational opportunities, especially for young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Meanwhile, the Merz cabinet is spending record sums on the Bundeswehr and is preparing society for war-fighting. Many young people are also unsettled by the threatening rise of the extreme right.

The developments of the past few weeks show that this discontent is no longer just simmering unspoken, but is turning into concrete action. The resistance is increasingly taking the form of organized school blockades: what started at the French high school in Berlin has occurred more and more frequently since then. In Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, students brought classes to a standstill at several high schools and comprehensive schools. With barricaded entrances and banners like “Money for education instead of weapons,” they forced attention to a discomfort that established politics had long tried to ignore.

The actions are organized primarily by the “Gen Z regulates” alliance, which also appears under the call “Gen Z stands up” and with a squirrel logo. Students in dozens of cities have come together via Telegram groups as well as Tiktok and Instagram.

The alliance is calling for the first nationwide day of protest on October 31st. The announcement sparked a flurry of activity: police unions and interior ministries are warning of possible riots like those in France. However, the alliance emphasizes in a “compass of values” that it is peaceful and non-partisan: it rejects violence and relies on de-escalation. In order not to be misused for party political intrigue, party flags are undesirable at the rallies. Right-wing extremist, racist and inflammatory positions should be excluded.

Almost three weeks later, on November 20th, an international youth day of action was called for under the motto “School strike against compulsory military service”. Organizations from France, Belgium and Italy are involved. The focus is on the rejection of a possible return to duty.

At the same time, there is a controversy in the movement about its stance on the Middle East conflict and the question of the extent to which solidarity with the Palestinian civilian population should be part of the list of demands. There are also reactions from politics. Martin Sonneborn, chairman of the Die Party, warned against any connection with the Palestine movement. Strong polarization could deter supporters and weaken the cause against social cuts, conscription and the lack of education. State parliament member Mustafa Groener (The Left Saxony-Anhalt) sees it differently. For him, the issue of peace, criticism of rearmament and solidarity with the Palestinian civilian population belong together. They should not be excluded for fear of state repression.

Despite all these debates and the attempts by politicians and the media to dismiss or criminalize the phenomenon, the dynamics surrounding “Gen Z regulates” reveal a profound turning point: Gen Z has lost trust in politics. For years, young people were told that their concerns were secondary, whether it was climate policy, the underfunding of educational institutions or the decision to channel billions into defense projects while there was no money for the social future.

Young people experience first-hand how politics is made whose mistakes they have to pay for, without them being given a real say. Anyone who believes that this generation will make silent acceptance the rule has underestimated the dynamics in schools.

If hundreds of thousands of students take to the streets on October 31st and November 20th, as the organizers had hoped, they will do so out of the realization that no one will voluntarily give them a fair future. The message to the government in Berlin is clear: young people feel unheard, ignored and disempowered. And that's exactly why she's likely to protest more loudly and unmistakably in the coming weeks than she has for a long time. Gen Z is no longer waiting to be asked for permission - they are now taking their right to the future for themselves.

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