Gen Z regelt calls marches across Germany

The France and Germany protests have spread beyond French borders, with youth-led rallies scheduled in more than 30 German cities. An alliance called Gen Z regelt urged supporters in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne to demand greater investment in education, climate action and housing, as well as opposition to proposals to reintroduce compulsory military service.

• •Marches planned in more than 30 German cities
• •Demands cover education, climate action and housing
• •The alliance opposes reintroducing compulsory military service
• •Organisers expect more than 160,000 participants

German politicians clash over the protests

The planned Germany demonstrations have split the political response. CDU parliamentarian Alexander Throm wrote in Handelsblatt: "Scenes like those in France must be prevented at all costs."

Green party co-leader Felix Banaszak cautioned against placing the youth protests under general suspicion, telling RND: "The [CDU's] rhetoric, which seeks to criminalise these protests pre-emptively and paint them as the work of marauding gangs, may even drive people towards radicalisation".

Berlin boosts police numbers

Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik Meisel said she would deploy an additional 1,500 officers in the capital for the marches. She moved to calm fears of disorder: "We have no concrete evidence of any coordinated looting operations being planned," she said.

France readies for a third weekend

France is bracing for a third weekend of cost of living protests, with police deploying 70,000 officers. The interior ministry said around 150 demonstrations were scheduled to take place nationwide, while shops and businesses across France have boarded up their storefronts ahead of the weekend.

• •Access to Place de la République and Les Halles is restricted between 11pm and 6am on Saturday and Sunday
• •Unaccompanied minors face a separate 9pm curfew around the Champs-Elysees

Interior minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk of public disorder", saying demonstrations would be permitted but not in city centres. "Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble," he added.

The movement began in late September with students angry over the state of school facilities, overcrowded classrooms and an unfair university admissions process, and has drawn hundreds of thousands of people. Gilets jaunes activists and trade unionists have since joined, and government pledges to overhaul the education system and reduce fuel costs have done little to quell public anger. Nuñez also said authorities had identified social media posts for Halloween gatherings urging protesters to spark a "revolution".

France's interior ministry counts around 150 demonstrations nationwide for the weekend, while the Gen Z regelt marches are set for more than 30 German cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne.