More than 160,000 people are expected to take part in demonstrations across Germany on Saturday, organisers said. The youth-led movement aims to demand better education, lower living costs and an end to compulsory military service.

The protests follow a series of Gen Z-led demonstrations across Europe this year. In Serbia, student-led activism helped unseat the country's long-time leader through elections. Meanwhile, protests in France have turned violent, with incidents of rioting and looting.

Organised by campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge), the demonstrations will take place in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The group wants greater investment in education as young Germans struggle with rising living costs.

German authorities expect the demonstrations, which coincide with Halloween celebrations, to remain largely peaceful. However, they have warned that extremist groups could try to exploit the movement. According to the federal interior ministry, parts of Germany's far-left extremist scene and groups linked to foreign extremist movements have joined efforts to mobilise support.

"We all have those images from France in our minds - looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers," said Roman Poseck, interior minister for the state of Hesse.

"France must not ​be held up as a model in this regard."

In Berlin, several businesses along the luxury Kurfuerstendamm shopping boulevard boarded up their windows and planned early closures over fears of possible unrest.

The organisers say the demonstrations will highlight the growing pressure on younger generations in Europe's largest economy.

"The government has offered no response to our concerns other than to continue making cuts and piling further burdens upon us," said Steve, an 18-year-old scheduled to speak at a rally in Munich, addressing Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"We will continue to exercise our fundamental right to assemble until you stop ignoring us."

The protests come as Germany struggles to revive economic growth while facing increasing pressure on pensions and public services. The retirement of baby boomers and a shrinking working-age population have added to these challenges.

However, questions remain over who is driving the campaign and whether it is genuinely youth-led, given the involvement of several political and civil society groups.

Germany's national school student umbrella organisation, BSK, has distanced itself from the initiative and announced a separate protest day for November 20.

"We are distancing ourselves from 'Gen Z regelt,' but not from the students themselves, who have legitimate concerns," said BSK secretary-general Amy Kirchhoff on Thursday.

Sean Baker, a student at the Technical University of Berlin, said he would join Saturday's demonstrations to highlight the poor condition of campus buildings.

"When you go inside and enter the rooms, it looks like an abandoned building," he told Reuters. "Yet this is where we're ​expected to study on a regular basis."