Pupils oppose military service in 90 German cities

Hereby we share a translation of an article found in Dem Volke Dienen:

The movement against the military service in Germany has gained momentum. Today, Friday, thousands demonstrated in over 90 cities against the federal government’s decision to reinstate the service. According to preliminary figures, tens of thousands took to the streets.

Previously, the Bundestag had passed the de facto reintroduction of the military service by a large majority. The aim of the law is to increase the number of active soldiers from around 180,000 today to up to 270,000 by 2035. An additional 200,000 reservists are to be added. German imperialism is thus planning for an army of almost half a million men. The law is scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2026.

In Munich, over 1,000 people participated in the demonstration, somewhat fewer in Frankfurt, and in Hamburg, according to organizers, there were 5,000 demonstrators. In Berlin, at least 4,000 people took part in various protests. In Kiel, around 1,000 students took the streets.

Well over 5,000 people participated in the school strike in Saxony, including Dresden, Leipzig, and Chemnitz. The predominantly young people in Dresden chanted loudly: “Not a single man, not a single cent for the German Armed Forces!” This demonstrates how, especially among young people, the rejection of German imperialism and its aggressions is manifesting itself in a very encouraging way on the streets.

Further protests took place in Stuttgart, Halle, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Dessau, Lübeck, Wittenberg, Flensburg, Halberstadt, Itzehoe and Magdeburg, where around 1,200 students took to the streets, as well as in Kassel – the police, in their usual manner, tried to downplay the scale of the protests, speaking of “only” 500 participants in Magdeburg and 1,500 in Hamburg.

Attempts were made to exert pressure against the protests, including by the state education ministries. However, the intimidation tactics applied beforehand – such as the threat that participation in demonstrations during school hours would be considered unexcused, noted on report cards, and that unexcused absences from tests would result in failing – apparently had little effect. The city of Rostock even went so far as to ban the protest, allegedly because the school board refused to grant permission. The protest took place nonetheless.

The next date for student protests against the military service in Germany is March 5, 2026.