Several businesses in central Cologne are taking precautionary measures ahead of a youth-led demonstration planned for Saturday. The expected turnout has risen to around 15,000, prompting organisers to move the gathering to a larger location along the Rhine.
Some shops in Cologne’s city centre have begun covering their shop windows with protective panels ahead of the planned “Gen Z regelt” demonstration. The measures include the Wempe jewellery store on Hohe Straße and a Starbucks branch on Gürzenichstraße.
The gathering is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, 31 October. It was initially planned for Heumarkt, but organisers and police confirmed on Thursday that it would move to Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer after the expected attendance increased from 5,000 to around 15,000 people.
Police have warned of possible traffic disruption in the city centre. It remained unclear whether the riverside road would need to be closed and whether the gathering would proceed as a stationary rally or a march.
Wempe said it had decided to close its branches across Germany, citing the safety of its employees. Douglas also announced that 12 particularly exposed stores nationwide would remain closed on 31 October as a precaution. Starbucks said the safety of its employees and customers remained its priority.
Earlier on Thursday, around 30 demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the South Campus of TH Köln on Ubierring. The protest ended peacefully at around 10:30 a.m., with police present.
The youth-led protests focus on issues including education funding, social support, affordable living, conscription and climate policy, as well as access to addiction support and psychotherapy. Authorities are preparing for the Cologne gathering. The reports reviewed for this article did not identify specific evidence of planned violent acts in the city.
Text and Foto: Kadir Illboga
