Germany’s Gen Z protests turn tense as police use water cannon

Summary

• Youth-led demonstrations across Germany turned violent in several cities on Saturday as police used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse crowds during a nationwide wave of protests over living costs, education and government policies.
• The demonstrations were part of a wider wave of youth protests spreading across Europe.
• Authorities had increased security ahead of the demonstrations amid concerns that violence seen during recent protests in other European countries could spread to Germany.

AI Generated Summary

Youth-led demonstrations across Germany turned violent in several cities on Saturday as police used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse crowds during a nationwide wave of protests over living costs, education and government policies.

Thousands of people gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and other cities in response to calls from the movement “GenZ regelt!”, which translates as “Gen Z has got this”. The demonstrations were part of a wider wave of youth protests spreading across Europe.

Although most gatherings remained peaceful during the day, tensions escalated in the evening. In Cologne, police deployed a water cannon after protesters allegedly targeted officers with fireworks. Authorities said they would not tolerate attacks on emergency workers.