Cost-of-Living Protests Spread to Germany as France Faces Another Saturday of Rallies

Cost-of-living protests that began in France spread to Germany on Saturday, October 31, where a new youth-led movement held demonstrations in cities across the country, with tens of thousands of people expected to turn out, CNN reported. France faced another Saturday of rallies the same day, with both countries' protests coinciding with Halloween.

The German movement, calling itself 'Gen Z regelt' ('Gen Z has got this'), is protesting the high cost of living, underfunded schools and universities, environmental concerns and a potential reintroduction of mandatory military service. Protests were planned in major cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. Organizers deliberately scheduled the large day of action on Halloween to maximize turnout and visibility, said they intend to protest peacefully, and instructed participants to keep their faces visible even in Halloween costumes.

Extra German police officers were deployed nationwide, and luxury shops lining Berlin's upmarket Kurfürstendamm shopping street boarded up their windows as a precaution. Protesters were already on the streets of Cologne on Saturday, inspired by similar movements across Europe.

In France, nationwide protests by the Yellow Vests and other movements entered what has been billed as their third act on Saturday, following earlier rounds on October 17 and 24, with students and some unions also expected to join. A French Interior Ministry source told CNN that as of 2 p.m. local time, 27 people had been detained in Saturday's protests — fewer than at roughly the same time in previous demonstrations — and that the situation appeared generally calm with no notable incidents, though particular attention would be paid to the Halloween evening.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, warning of a 'very high risk of public disorder,' announced this week that demonstrations would only be authorized outside town centers, with 70,000 extra law enforcement officers deployed nationwide. He also warned of separate Halloween-night gatherings called by radical groups, saying they would be banned. Paris police reminded the public on X that concealing one's face in public is punishable by a €150 ($170) fine, while carrying a weapon, even a fake one, can carry up to three years in prison and a €45,000 fine.

France's protests began in late September, led by high school students demanding improvements to deteriorating school buildings, teacher shortages and a lack of resources, before morphing into a broader movement that includes the cost of living. On October 17, more than 550,000 people took to the streets across France; the Interior Ministry said more than 3,000 shops were attacked or looted and over 2,700 people were arrested, and the interior minister said more than 1,000 law enforcement officers have been injured since the movement began. President Emmanuel Macron described the violence as a 'collective failure.' French unions have called a nationwide strike and mobilization for November 5 over rising living costs.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：Berlin 的 Kurfürstendamm 大道街景（资料图）。抗议戒备期间，这条高档购物街沿线店铺提前封起了橱窗。照片：Bodo Kubrak，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。

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