Politics
Thousands of students took to the streets across Germany on Thursday to protest the government’s military service reforms, as Berlin pushes to expand the armed forces amid what it describes as a growing threat from Russia.
Thousands of students took to the streets across Germany on Thursday to protest the government’s military service reforms, as Berlin pushes to expand the armed forces amid what it describes as a growing threat from Russia. Organizers of the “School Strike against Military Recruitment” said around 45,000 students took part in protests in approximately 100 cities and towns across the country on Thursday. Police did not release nationwide figures, but reported around 2,400 protesters in Berlin, while hundreds more demonstrated in Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Munich and Hamburg. Footage released by video agency Ruptly showed crowds marching through Hamburg carrying banners that read, “We will not fight your wars,” “Education instead of bombs,” “Not our war,” and “Russia is not our enemy.”
Some protesters also targeted Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with banners reading, “No Merz, No War, No Billionaires!” One demonstrator told Ruptly, “I don’t want my child to be sent to war by people like the politicians currently running Germany.” The demonstrator said she was more afraid of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Merz than of any Russian president. One student described the reforms as “a form of preparation for war,” arguing that young people could ultimately “be forced to shoot at other young people” for interests that do not belong to them, but rather to “profit-hungry arms companies and politicians.”
Germany’s Military Service Modernization Act, which came into force in January, requires 18-year-old men to complete a questionnaire about their willingness and suitability for military service. Mandatory medical examinations for men born in 2008 or later are scheduled to begin in July 2027. Military service remains voluntary, but parliament can activate compulsory military service if recruitment targets are not met or the security situation deteriorates.
The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr to more than 260,000 active-duty personnel and 200,000 reservists by 2035, citing Germany’s NATO commitments and the deteriorating security situation in Europe. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously warned that Germany must be prepared for a possible conflict with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it intends to attack NATO countries, describing such allegations as “nonsense.”
