We stand in solidarity with the student protests in Germany and other European countries.
We welcome the students’ self-empowerment in France and the blockades now emerging at schools in Germany as well. We stand in solidarity with you!
The blockades that began in late September at lycées (high schools) in the suburbs of Paris arose from conditions in the schools that have long been unacceptable. Leaky, dilapidated schools with broken heating systems, cuts to teaching staff, a lack of hygiene supplies, and other issues were the triggers. Demands for more funding for schools and education were met with brutal police violence by the French state. Students—most of whom are children—were attacked with extreme force, injured, and arrested. One student lost part of his arm, several lost their eyesight, and many were seriously injured.
As a result, protests erupted, spread, and gained broad support from society. The violence originated with the state. The goal was to nip the protests in the bud through harsh repression, rather than providing students with an adequate education.
In Germany, too, students are rightfully dissatisfied. Inspired primarily by France, the first isolated school blockades have now taken place in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.
The protests here were directed against the federal government’s budget cuts, which also affect education. However, from the very beginning, these cuts were also viewed in the context of the country’s militarization. Students expressed their opposition to the creeping reintroduction of mandatory military service and the opening of schools to the Bundeswehr.
In Berlin and Hamburg, too, students were intimidated by the police, and at the Max-Brauer-Schule in Hamburg, a student was pushed away by a police cordon.
The cuts mean that
– school trips are being canceled,
– afternoon classes at elementary schools are being canceled,
– substitute teachers can no longer be paid,
– classes will have 31 students instead of 29,
– full-time teachers are expected to work one hour longer per week for the same pay
Furthermore, inclusion is under attack as positions for social workers—who support students with special learning needs—are being completely eliminated. Instead of investing in our future, they’re cutting costs at our expense. The City of Hamburg would rather increase police staffing and cut administrative positions.
The Hamburg police are already preparing for the protests to escalate, and the first repressive measures are being taken:
– Parents are no longer allowed to give their children blanket sick leave on Fridays
– The police have contacted several schools and made it clear to them that protests must not be permitted
– A central reporting office has been set up where school principals are urged to report students who are planning blockades
These are not circumstances that simply have to be accepted. This political strategy pursues two goals: It generates short-term growth, and the austerity measures increase competition, particularly in social professions. A desperately needed social or ecological transformation of society is being sacrificed at the expense of militarization. This is happening in the context of increased armament and the constant austerity dictates imposed on us by those in power. The aim is to better protect capital and property and to improve their own position in the competition among nations, while we come under greater pressure. We therefore support the resistance of Hamburg’s students. The federal government is also destroying our future.
All across Europe in recent weeks and months, people have been rebelling against their governments and the consequences of the prevailing conditions. Everywhere, people are angry about expensive food, high rent, poor education, and corruption. 400,000 people in Paris, 800,000 people at protests organized by the Spanish labor union CGT, and tens of thousands in Italy. In Serbia, long-time President Vucic was voted out of office on October 26 after two years of protests against his government’s corruption. In Albania, too, people are protesting against President Edi Rama’s neoliberal concessions and demanding his resignation. It’s time to stop letting others rule us!
On October 31, 2026, students and other young people took to the streets in over 30 German cities under the banner “Gen Z Rules,” demanding a future for all people—free from discrimination—with education for all, an affordable cost of living, and a say for young people, while opposing social cuts, militarization, and conscription. We support these legitimate demands and condemn the criminalization of the protests in the run-up to the event by the CDU, the police, and interest groups representing the wealthy. Anyone who engages in such massive smear campaigns to discredit young demonstrators is deeply afraid of these legitimate demands.
We are workers who share your frustration and anger over these developments. We don’t just want to express solidarity—we’re offering you our support. Feel free to contact us: fauhh@fau.org
We call on everyone to participate in the international school strike on November 20. Students can also use all the support they can get from the broader community.
Let’s unite our struggles, because they are interconnected. Our strength lies in our solidarity with one another!
