by Gregor Spitzen
| The protesters are organized and led by old-style anarcho-communist syndicalists (Antifa/Black Bloc). The demands of the protests are taken from their usual list, not what the generality might happen to want. So really, why bother examining what they claim to believe? The cause it not the cause, the cause is always revolution. |
Tens of thousands of dissatisfied people gathered in more than 30 cities, including Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Mainz, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Dresden and Leipzig, on October 31.
| Was it a nice, sunny day, perfect for spending the day in, turning cholesterol into Vitamin D in the company of like-minded souls? |
| No, they don’t. But one can understand why Russia might want to encourage such thinking. |
| Their elders get to pay with money and a reduced standard of living, not to mention failing hopes for the comfortable pension they were promised. |
Plus, there's the forced conscription into the Bundeswehr, which is still hidden behind the fig leaf of mandatory completion of a form about readiness to serve.
According to surveys, only 14% of German respondents under 30 said they trust politicians.
| Perspicacious. Many of their politicians have deliberately not been trustworthy. |
On the other hand, the proportion of young adults concerned about generational conflict is only 20%. The situation hasn't worsened significantly yet. However, this is also due to the fact that many have parents who help them when they can't find a job or afford an apartment. This mitigates the problem. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction and psychological stress are rising among people under 30 in Germany.
The youth's anger took many forms. There were peaceful talks, hopeful speakers, posters with ironic slogans directed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz, fireworks, attacks on police with bottles and stones, and barricades set ablaze.
At the same time, the protests were sometimes vague: anger at the federal government and the super-rich was mixed with expressions of solidarity with Palestine.
| What Palestine has to do with it is puzzling, except it has been forcibly made into the shibboleth of the age. Hopefully the world will soon move on to something less destructive. |
The Gen-Z regelt initiative, which is behind the protests, distanced itself from violence. However, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned of possible attempts by left-wing radical groups and apolitical looters to infiltrate the activists' ranks.
Fearing looting in the Bavarian capital, some retailers have barricaded their windows with wooden panels, such as on the upscale Maximilianstrasse shopping street.
Stuttgart also saw some high-profile incidents: law enforcement officers were displeased with the fact that some of the demonstrators were wearing masks. Strict measures were taken for the use of pyrotechnics.
In Cologne, police canceled a march at the last minute due to masks and pyrotechnics. The demonstration continued as a rally. A police water cannon was deployed to calm "violent demonstrators."
There were also reports from Frankfurt of firecrackers being thrown at police. In Berlin, some demonstrators threw bottles and eggs.
In Hamburg, police officers were pelted with pyrotechnics and construction barriers. In response, a "direct enforcement" operation was reportedly carried out.
People dressed in black and partially masked tore plastic construction barriers from their moorings, threw them into the street, and then set them on fire. Police dispersed the crowd and used pepper spray against the demonstrators.
Future protests will likely show how vocal young people will be. In a number of cities, they have already been announced for November 20. In Magdeburg, for example, protesters viewed the incidents of late October as the beginning of something bigger.
Some, however, believe that the pan-European rebellious impulse may not fully spread to Germany because activists are not being decisive enough in their demands.
Others—because Germany, unlike France, lacks a distinct postcolonial background.
| Do they still say, “Wir sind kein’ Hottentotten hier?” Where do you suppose that came from? |
| That’s a different question. |
| …not actually random at all, but the professional leadership cadre supplied by Antifa… |