Germany and France brace for protests on Halloween weekend

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkWorkers install wooden boards over the windows of a luxury boutique in Berlin, Germany, on October 30, 2026, ahead of a planned protest [Ebrahim Noroozi/AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and AFPPublished On 31 Oct 202631 Oct 2026Germany and France are preparing for potential protests over the weekend that could coincide with Halloween festivities.Approximately 150,000 people in Germany have registered to turn out in about 30 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne, to protest on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What European students can learn from their Serbian peerslist 2 of 3France braces for ‘very high risk’ of disorder at Halloween protestslist 3 of 3Italy tightens security as students, unions launch nationwide protestsend of listPolice plan to deploy thousands of additional officers across the country. Some luxury jewellery shops and clothing stores have boarded up windows to protect against potential looting or violence.Protests in Germany are led by a group dubbed “GenZ regelt!”, which translates to “Gen Z has got this!”.The German protest movement’s complaints include the high cost of living, poorly maintained schools, government spending cuts and, more broadly, politicians taking decisions with little regard for the younger generation.A wave of largely youth-led protests has swept across Europe in recent weeks, many with similar complaints: rising prices, declining educational facilities and what many protesters see as a lack of prospects for their future.France braces againMany of those grievances mirror those of the youth-led protests that have convulsed French cities and towns for three consecutive weekends.Shops and businesses in Paris and other cities were boarding up windows on Friday.French police are preparing for another weekend of potential protests and violence by deploying 70,000 police officers nationwide. More than 40 metro stations in Paris will be closed.Authorities have also said face-covering masks will not be allowed at the demonstrations.France’s interior minister has warned of a “very high risk” of disorder over the weekend.Two weeks ago, widespread unrest broke out in cities and towns across France as demonstrations against the cost of living and conditions in schools descended into large-scale looting and riots.Since then, French authorities have sought to clamp down on violent protests, but last weekend saw further demonstrations across the country, including intermittent clashes with the police.Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France’s Chamber of Commerce, said businesses were worried.“Shopkeepers can’t wait for Saturday to be over,” Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter.Halloween “is not helping matters”, he said, “because we’re going to have people wearing masks”.