Protests over rising living costs and demands for more spending on public services brought crowds onto streets across Germany and France on Saturday. Several cities saw confrontations between demonstrators and police, including water cannon use in Cologne and tear gas in Lyon, although many gatherings passed without major incidents.
Tens of thousands joined demonstrations in more than 30 German cities at the initiative of the movement Gen Z Takes Responsibility. Their demands included greater investment in healthcare and education, relief from living costs and an end to plans for compulsory military service. Reuters reported that participation fell short of organizers' expectations.
Cologne police canceled a march after participants covered their faces and used pyrotechnics. A rally was allowed to continue beside the Rhine, but clashes during its dispersal led police to use a water cannon. Barricades reportedly burned in Hamburg, while officers repeatedly stopped a Stuttgart march over face coverings and pyrotechnics. Incidents involving mainly pyrotechnics were also reported in Bonn, Dortmund and Essen, with none reported in Duisburg.
Berlin's main gathering near the Brandenburg Gate concluded peacefully, police said. Officers estimated attendance at about 5,000, while organizers put it at 11,000. Around 300 people later assembled separately at Rosenthaler Platz, where public broadcaster reporters described a black-clad group and firecrackers being thrown at officers. Main rally organizers had disassociated themselves from that gathering and called for nonviolence. Thousands also demonstrated in Munich, Mainz and Freiburg, and an afternoon nationwide update characterized most protests as peaceful.
France deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes ahead of a third weekend of protests. The Interior Ministry warned that Halloween celebrations could be exploited to stir unrest and looting. Preliminary figures released at 2 p.m. local time recorded 15,000 participants at 65 protest actions and 27 people detained or arrested. Those totals excluded some demonstrations starting later.
Violence erupted in Lyon after a march reached Place Jean Macé. Lyon Mag reported vandalism at a tram station and objects and fireworks directed at police, who used tear gas. Authorities said one injured person was evacuated, and protesters continued beyond the permitted route. Organizers estimated attendance at 20,000. Footage also showed Israeli and US flags being trampled and burned. In video circulating online, three people stood atop a transport shelter as spectators applauded and chanted accusations against Israel.
In Paris, marchers followed an authorized route on the city's eastern outskirts after the Council of State upheld procession restrictions. Le Monde reported no significant clashes near the march's conclusion. Several hundred people gathered despite a ban in Marseille's Réformés area, before an unauthorized procession headed toward Parc Longchamp. Police carried out identity checks.
Italian police conducted 60 searches in 23 cities on Saturday against suspects accused of encouraging protest violence online. The operation followed Friday's nationwide USB trade union strike, with marches in more than 60 cities. Most were peaceful, but evening clashes occurred in Rome and Turin. In Rome, demonstrators threw objects, burned bins and tried to advance toward parliament. Police used water cannons, and eight people were detained after attempts to breach barriers.
Clashes in Turin spread from Piazza Castello to the city center, while Milan protesters blocked the eastern ring road for roughly 90 minutes. Italy's Interior Ministry estimated nationwide participation at about 255,000, against organizers' estimate of 1.5 million.
In Tirana, masked individuals burned bins outside Albania's Education Ministry and threw paving stones at police on Saturday, AFP reported, following a peaceful protest demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation. Portugal's RTP reported thousands demonstrating for housing rights in Lisbon and Porto. Ombudsman's office representatives monitored police conduct in Lisbon, with no new clashes reported in those updates.
