️ Tens of thousands of high school students across Germany took to the streets in widespread protests against the government's plans to potentially reintroduce military conscription. Young people gathered in Berlin's central Potsdamer Square on Thursday and marched through the capital, with police counting around 3,000 participants while organizers claimed 6,000 demonstrators in Berlin and 50,000 in over 130 towns and cities nationwide.

️ 17-year-old Shmuel Schatz, spokesperson for the School Strike Committee, told DW's Gasia Ohanes: "In the worst-case scenario, I won't be dying for my friends, relatives, or acquaintances, but rather, in the end, only for those who are put into the trenches for the interests of large corporations like Rheinmetall, ThyssenKrupp, and others, so they can line their pockets at the expense of war." Another protester spokesperson, 19-year-old Kiran Schürmann, added: "People who go there voluntarily can fight for this, even if that does have its problems. But people should not be forced. Coercion is never a solution."

️ The German government introduced a new military service law in December 2025, requiring all 18-year-olds to receive questionnaires this year about their motivation and suitability for military service, with information about volunteering for the Bundeswehr. Responding will be mandatory for men. If this voluntary recruitment drive fails to meet targets outlined in the new law, the government plans to reintroduce full conscription. The government allegedly stated last year that it had established a "growth path" to increase troop numbers from the current 180,000 to around 260,000, plus approximately 200,000 reservists.

️ In his military report presented on Tuesday, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces Henning Otte of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) expressed "doubts about the prospects of success of the voluntary principle." Many believe conscription is inevitable, with peace organizations reporting increased inquiries about conscientious objection. The German constitution guarantees the right to refuse military service, and several counseling services are available for conscientious objectors.

️ The number of conscientious objectors in Germany rose significantly in 2025, with the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society (BAFzA) reporting 3,867 applications last year—a 72% increase from the previous year. Germany maintained compulsory national service for decades, with a civilian option for young men, until its suspension in 2011. It can be reinstated if the Bundestag declares a state of tension or national defense, requiring a two-thirds majority in the lower house. In a national defense scenario, men aged 18 to 60 could theoretically be drafted.

️ Thursday's nationwide protest marked Germany's second "school strike," following a December 2025 demonstration involving some 55,000 people across 90 cities.

Source: www.dw.com