Police and politicians in Germany are concerned about violence around Gen Z protests. GdP chief Kopelke said German and French policing differ: in Germany, officers react differently and intervene much earlier, using other tactics and other equipment. He said disruptors can be dealt with quickly and effectively so they do not misuse a peaceful protest.
Protest researcher Peter Ulrich of the Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht in Berlin told MDR that he sees it the same way. He said French police are clearly more militarised and less well trained, and that communication and de-escalation are less established there, while German police de-escalate more. He said France has a protest culture that tends strongly toward militancy and that both sides there move toward violence more quickly. Similar scenes are therefore unlikely, he said, although violence cannot be ruled out in confusing situations.
Sociologist Ruud Koopmans of Humboldt University Berlin told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that he does not expect violence on the scale seen in France, but that there are groups that would like to copy it. He said left-extremist circles look jealously toward France. He described a deliberate strategy by people prepared for violence: mixing with peaceful demonstrators so that others are affected, then portraying the police as brutal and trying to radicalise other protesters as well.
Kopelke said the date could be critical because Halloween is traditionally marked on 31 October. He reported problems in recent years and repeated small riots. At times police officers and emergency services were deliberately pelted with firecrackers, rubbish containers were set on fire and shop windows were smashed.
Costumes add to the risk, he said, because some people carry toy weapons and it is hard to tell which weapons are real. Kopelke described an unclear picture in which a spontaneous gathering, a violent protest or only a costume are all possible.