German police fired a water cannon to disperse firework-hurling protesters on Saturday and were also pelted with other projectiles, as tensions rose at the end of massive youth-led protests.
asserted
tensions → fire → protests
In Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and dozens of other cities, demonstrators turned out for the protests organised by the group ‘GenZ regelt!’ (GenZ has got this), the latest by disillusioned youth in Europe.
asserted
GenZ → turn → Europe
Thousands of police were deployed across the country and, after mostly peaceful demonstrations, tensions rose in the evening in some places.
asserted
tensions → deploy → places
In the western city of Cologne, where one of the biggest demonstrations took place, police fired a water cannon to disperse a crowd after saying protesters had targeted officers with fireworks.
asserted
protesters → take → fireworks
“We will not tolerate violence against emergency workers,” said a police statement.
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statement → tolerate → workers
Earlier, a march through the city was halted after demonstrators started setting off fireworks.
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demonstrators → halt → fireworks
A march was also temporarily halted in Frankfurt after protesters set off fireworks.
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protesters → halt → fireworks
In Berlin, protesters hurled bottles and eggs while protesters set barricades ablaze in Hamburg, and police were using pepper spray on demonstrators in some places, Germany’s daily Bild reported.
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Bild → hurl → places
Demonstrators had earlier taken to the streets waving signs that read “Time for resistance” and “Merz must go”, in reference to conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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Merz → take → Merz
They have been inspired by similar movements across Europe, including in France and Italy.
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They → inspire → France
“We’re taking to the streets for a life that everyone can afford,” said Veronika Dinter, a spokeswoman for the “GenZ regelt!” movement.
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Dinter → take → movement
“Hardly anyone still believes in a better future if everything just continues as it is.”
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it → believe → future
The movement’s complaints range from the high cost of living to poorly maintained schools, government spending cuts and, more broadly, what it sees as politicians making decisions with apparently little regard for the younger generation.
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it → range → generation
They are also unhappy with sharply increased military spending and a new voluntary service model aimed at boosting troop numbers, fearing it is a step towards bringing back conscription.
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it → increase → conscription
Several thousand demonstrators turned out in Cologne while the figure was around 5,000 in Berlin and 8,000 in Frankfurt, according to police.
uncertain
figure → turn → police
There were also sizeable gatherings in other parts of the country, although the numbers were below the 170,000 nationwide that organisers had hoped for.
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organisers → be → that
Authorities have been worried the protests, coinciding with Halloween, could be marred by the same kind of violence seen elsewhere in Europe.
uncertain
protests → worry → Europe
Protests were also taking place in France for a third straight weekend.
asserted
Protests → take → weekend
Nationwide demonstrations there on October 17 degenerated into some of the country’s worst rioting in years.
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demonstrations → degenerate → years
Berlin is in contact with officials in France and Italy amid fears that radicals from overseas could seek to join the German protests.
uncertain
radicals → seek → protests
But prior to the protests, authorities said that they had not seen evidence of concrete plans for violence.
asserted
they → say → violence
The “GenZ regelt!” movement explicitly rejects violence.
asserted
movement → reject → violence
It stresses that “extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us — no matter from which side”.
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groups → stress → us
Christian Volk, an expert in protest movements, said there was the potential to see a major movement emerge in Germany.
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movement → say → Germany
But Volk, from Berlin’s Humboldt University, told AFP there were key differences with France, which has a “completely different tradition when it comes to confrontational forms of protest”.
asserted
it → tell → protest
The Aporia
