German Education Minister Karin Prien has expressed understanding for the concerns raised during Gen-Z demonstrations held across the country, while condemning the violence that broke out in several cities later in the day.
Speaking on Deutschlandfunk, the CDU politician said young people were approaching their future prospects relatively pragmatically rather than being driven primarily by anger. She acknowledged that Germany had “significant deficits” in delivering on its promise that education can enable social advancement.
According to Prien, educational opportunities remain closely linked to social background. She also said young people had valid concerns about the sustainability of social security systems, including the pension system, and argued that political priorities and resources should not be distributed too heavily in favour of older generations.
Prien said she planned to meet representatives of the Federal Student Conference within the next ten days to discuss their demands in detail. She urged politicians to listen to young demonstrators and said peaceful protests should be clearly distinguished from acts of violence.
Tens of thousands of young people demonstrated in more than 30 German cities on Saturday. Their demands included better education, greater fairness between generations, lower living costs, more affordable housing and opposition to compulsory military service. The initiatives Gen Z regelt and Generation Aufbruch had called for the protests.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful during the day, but riots were reported in cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt during the evening. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for firm action against those involved in attacks on police and emergency workers, as well as shop looting, saying such acts harmed society and the legitimate concerns of young people.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said authorities were distinguishing between peaceful demonstrations and the subsequent violence. He said those responsible would be identified and held accountable. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius criticised references to “migrant groups” and warned against failing to distinguish between people based on their background or nationality.
Prien likewise called for a differentiated assessment of the events. She referred to violence by left-wing extremist groups and others believed to come from migrant communities, but said the debate should focus on the reasons behind failed integration rather than on nationality. She stressed that citizenship would play no role in prosecuting those responsible.
The minister rejected the suggestion that no progress had been made in education, pointing to the creation of additional teaching positions over the past decade as student numbers increased, including because of immigration.
The governing SPD has called for a national education summit involving the federal government, the states and local authorities. Parliamentary group deputy Dagmar Schmidt said the right to good education and training was central to the protests and required rapid action.
Gen Z regelt has announced plans for nationwide demonstrations on November 14. The Federal Student Conference, which has distanced itself from the group’s actions, plans its own demonstration on November 20, with participation announced by the Education and Science Workers’ Union, the Federal Parents’ Council and Fridays for Future.
Sources: Handelsblatt.