German steelworkers rallied in Berlin on Friday in an effort to rouse government support for the crisis-hit sector.
Protesters marched from the Brandenburg Gate to the Economy Ministry. The IG Metall trade union said around 1,700 workers from more than 40 companies took part, while police put the figure at 900.
Another 8,500 steel workers demonstrated in the western city of Völklingen, according to police estimates.
The union is demanding greater political support for the struggling steel industry, which is suffering from an economic slowdown, high US tariffs on steel and competition from cheap steel imports, particularly from Asia.
In 2025, output at Germany's steel industry - concentrated above all in the western states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Saarland - fell to 34.1 million tons of crude steel, the lowest level since the financial crisis of 2009.
IG Metall also warned against weakening climate targets in Europe and jeopardizing the industry's transition to carbon-neutral steel.
"We want to produce green steel; our steelworks will become climate-neutral as far as possible. But politics must consistently create the conditions for that to happen," said Jürgen Kerner, the union's deputy chairman.
Kerner warned against calling into question the European emissions trading scheme, which is due to come under review at EU level in July. Doing so would put "tens of thousands of jobs at risk," he said.
