The Oct. 31 youth demonstrations in Germany and France drew hundreds of thousands, putting school conditions and living costs at the center of national campaigns as France announced education measures extending through 2028.
Gen Z regelt said its demonstrations across 34 German cities drew 120,000 people, according to the initiative’s post-event tally. Its position paper cites protests in France, Belgium and Spain as inspiration but does not describe a shared European campaign.
France’s Interior Ministry counted 320,000 participants at 291 public actions, including 70,000 in Paris. Le Monde reported an estimate of about 500,000 from organizers, higher than the ministry’s count.
The German initiative’s position paper lists school and social-service cuts, living costs, military service, surveillance and climate change among its concerns. It argues that budget choices leave young people carrying more of the strain while large companies benefit and public funds go toward rearmament. Berlin high school student Janelle Schulz told The Associated Press that her school had “a shortage of teachers.”
The Council on Foreign Relations has linked France’s school protests with the earlier Yellow Vest movement, which brought anti-austerity and cost-of-living demands into school-led demonstrations.
Police reported incidents at some locations. In Leipzig, Saxony police said about 7,000 people demonstrated mostly peacefully and recorded more than 80 offenses involving face coverings and pyrotechnics. Hessian police reported property crimes and serious attacks on officers after a gathering in Frankfurt but did not identify who was responsible. France’s Interior Ministry reported damage to 36 businesses and looting at three. It counted 565 detentions by 4 p.m. ET (20:00 UTC) Oct. 31, then 214 more during later Halloween events, bringing the total to 779 by 6 a.m. ET (11:00 UTC) Nov. 1.
France’s announced measures include 15,000 additional higher-education places across 2027 and 2028, inflation-linked student grants starting in the 2027 academic year, and a Parcoursup replacement in 2028. The government also announced €4 billion in loans for school renovations and €1 billion for university buildings. A reform committee is expected to issue its first recommendations by the end of November.
