Berlin, October 29th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Berlin’s police are preparing for a large-scale operation on October 31st, when a youth initiative called Gen Z has called for protests in the capital. Police President Barbara Slowik Meisel said about 1,500 officers will be deployed. According to Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD), the Federal Police will assist.
“As soon as excessive violence occurs, the police have my full support to prevent such things by all means”, Spranger said. At the same time, she stressed that peaceful protest will be protected. “It is entirely right for young people to take to the streets for their interests”, she said, adding that freedom of assembly is “a great good” that authorities will defend. Spranger voiced confidence that the police can manage this, pointing to their experience with almost 7,000 demonstrations in Berlin every year.
According to police figures, 13 assemblies have been registered in Berlin for Saturday. Four of them have a thematic link to Halloween. The Gen Z initiative has announced two events so far. The first is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Brandenburg Gate, where organizers expect 10,000 participants. A march is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Rosenthaler Platz in Mitte, with 200 people registered. Police also expect additional spontaneous gatherings.
“Clearly and Firmly”
Slowik Meisel said there are calls that attempt to connect with the protests in France and to carry confrontations onto Berlin’s streets. “Currently, however, we do not see any mobilization resulting from these calls”, she said. Such appeals were not gaining traction at the moment, she added, and there are no indications of plans for looting like that seen in France.
Both Slowik Meisel and Spranger announced a consistent response should anyone try to hijack peaceful demonstrations. They said students have so far shown great composure and have realized that attempts were being made to exploit them. “So far, they know very well and very consciously how to distinguish between people demonstrating with them for their interests and people trying to use them”, Slowik Meisel said. Should anyone try to take over or infiltrate peaceful gatherings, the police will respond “with a lot of de-escalation, but also clearly and firmly”, she said, and remove the offenders.
Officers will remain on duty late into the night because of Halloween. As in previous years, efforts will focus on areas where incidents, often involving fireworks, have been more frequent. These include the High-Deck housing estate and Gropiusstadt in Neukölln, Pallasstraße in Schöneberg and parts of Moabit.
No Planned Riots
The Federal Ministry of the Interior also sees no calls for violence, at least for now. A spokesman said federal security agencies have no further information on planned riots in connection with the demonstrations. He noted, however, that parts of the left-wing extremist scene and a few groups from foreign-related extremism have taken up the calls and are helping to mobilize.
Online, an initiative called “Gen Z regelt” is urging people to join nationwide protests on October 31. Events are planned in 32 cities for now. Those in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich are organized directly, while other cities have joined in. The group campaigns for stronger climate protection, measures against rising living costs and against compulsory military service. It explicitly rejects violence.
The ministry said the calls for mobilization that have become known so far stress the peaceful nature of the protests. It also noted explicit statements distancing the initiative from violent clashes at similar protests abroad. Riots have occurred in France and in some other European countries.
