Jan Josef Liefers warns against troublemakers hijacking the protest

"No Future" is not a sign of resignation, but rather a call to action, according to actor Jan Josef Liefers. Nearly 37 years ago, on November 4, 1989, he and half a million GDR citizens fought peacefully for freedom and the end of the SED regime on Berlin's Alexanderplatz—using words and arguments. In light of the threatened riots this weekend surrounding Gen-Z protests, the "Tatort" star draws a clear line in the "Liefers + Broicher" podcast between the historical collapse of the system in 1989 and today's vandalism. Although he says he understands the frustration of the youth, he warns that "loudmouths and idiots" could abuse the protest. Leipzig merchants barricade shop windows ahead of "Gen Z regelt" demonstration While merchants in many places, such as Leipzig, have already barricaded their shops and the police have been put on high alert, Liefers is concerned about the instrumentalization of youth culture. He suggests that "well-known loudmouths and idiots" could mingle with the demonstrating youth to incite riots and thereby deliberately compromise the actual, legitimate protests of the new generation. Tremors at Lübben Town Hall: Treasurer suspended, Mayor allegedly breached official duties For the actor, the fundamental difference from 1989 lies not in the motivation, but in the form of protest and the willingness to use violence. According to Liefers, in 1989 there was a clear consensus not to smash shop windows, torch cars, or set fire to town halls. The protesters were in the same boat as the shop owners. Today, Liefers says, people "plunder the shops of other poor souls." He argues that today's protests lack this constructive forward-looking approach if they instead end in pure vandalism. Although Liefers emphasizes that he understands the resentment and the need of today's youth to rebel against a "pompous state," he sharply distances himself from the accompanying violence, which destroys the core of democratic participation. Your opinion is important to us. Send us your feedback on this article to: [email protected]