Today, young people all over Germany are taking to the streets under the motto “Gen Z regulates”. We spoke to Jakob from Gen Z Regulates Augsburg about the demands against rearmament and social cuts, the inspiration from the protests in France and how to deal with agitation and threats of bans.

You also called for protests in Augsburg on October 31st under the motto “Gen Z regulates”. Why and what exactly are you asking for?

We are tired of politics continually driving our future against the wall. No matter whether it's social cuts, conscription or increasing violence against women, we see that in the end they don't care about our interests. There are problems and crises everywhere. This leads to a feeling of lack of prospects for many people: it is actually already clear that you have little chance of finding a good job or being able to afford a room in a shared apartment.

The government's response to this is to slide even further to the right, to impose austerity measures on our backs and to blame refugees for the poor situation.

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So what we are calling for is an end to this policy, which is putting us all under the wheels. We don't want any rearmament or social cuts. Instead, the money should go where it is needed: i.e. in climate protection, education, health or protection against violence for women.

““Gen Z takes care of things” also stands for a claim: We are now taking matters into our own hands. What does that mean in concrete terms?

It's time for something to really change. For this to happen, we cannot sit around and wait for someone else to advocate for us. We need to join forces with our friends and classmates and build a movement that can truly challenge current politics. We can all play a part in this! For example, by organizing meetings in our schools, publishing school newspapers or organizing protests ourselves.

In Augsburg, for example, we held open meetings where we planned the demo and made material. We organize everything ourselves: technology, contact with the authorities, advertising on social media or flyer campaigns at schools. We are always happy when new people show up who want to join in.

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Hundreds to thousands of young people have already gathered in Telegram channels, and tens of thousands have confirmed their participation on the “Gen Z Rules” website. What do you hope for from the demonstrations this weekend?

There are many young people in the Telegram groups who have never been to a demo before and have not yet paid much attention to politics. These demonstrations on Saturday will be the first real point of contact with politics for many people. Of course we hope that some people will come and that we can really take our protest loudly onto the streets.

On the other hand, there have already been blatant threats from the police and government. In Stuttgart, the CDU has called for a ban on the demonstration to be considered. Here in Augsburg the public order office repeatedly put obstacles in our way and forced us to change our route several times. But we were able to handle this pressure well because there is very strong cohesion in our group.

The movement emerged in the wake of the school blockades and the large wave of protests in France. How have these protests inspired you?

In France, large sections of the population have come together to fight the government's right-wing policies - schoolchildren, students, trade unionists, farmers and so on. Despite racist agitation and attempts at division in the media, there is very strong cohesion there. We find that very impressive. We were also inspired by certain forms of action such as school or university blockades.

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Of course, the situation in France is different than here in Germany, and you cannot simply transfer these protests. But we can learn from the young people there and we can support each other across borders. If the protest spills over internationally, which is currently the case in many countries, that puts even more pressure on governments. That's why the German government and police are reacting so harshly: They are afraid that we will become a problem for them.

There is talk of “imminent riots” in the media and there is agitation against young migrants. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns of “infiltration by left-wing extremists from home and abroad”. What is true about these allegations?

The biggest rioters are in the government. Seriously, the conditions in the education system, social cuts or the threat of conscription are the real problems, not some minor damage to property. Furthermore, it is very doubtful that the protests here in Germany will reach the same proportions as in France.

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Even if there are different approaches to protests, the important thing is that we stick together and don't start distancing ourselves from each other. This racist incitement or the division into “good” and “left-wing extremist” demonstrators is only intended to divide us and make us harmless. We can't get involved in this - we're not demonstrating to look good in the media, but because we have very legitimate concerns.

How will you measure the success of October 31st?

What happens next! We don't want to stop at one day of action. For example, the next international school strike against conscription is on November 20th. And in between and after, we must continue to stand up for our demands. As I said, we have to come together and turn isolated protests into a powerful movement. It won't be easy, but October 31st can be the starting signal for it. We definitely want to organize meetings in Augsburg after October 31st and also network with other groups nationwide.

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