Students strike across Germany in protest against military service

ByBethany Bell Berlin correspondent.

Key points

• One of the organisers of the strike, Bela Breitner, from School Strike Against Compulsory Military Service remarked the federal administration was "serious about gradually reintroducing compulsory military service".
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has created boosting Germany's military a priority after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• One protester, 16-year-old Elias Bernhard, from Hamburg, remarked that the responses to the questionnaires "show that young people do not want to join the Bundeswehr ".
• The group notes over a hundred demonstrations are planned throughout Germany, including in Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt.
• During the Cold War, Germany, like plenty of other European countries, had a substantial army.

School strikes are taking place throughout Germany to protest against the feasible reintroduction of compulsory military service.

At one protest in Hamburg, demonstrators waved flags and held up banners emblazoned with the words "We won't take part in your wars".

Notably, a new law introducing voluntary military service came into force in January, with the aim of recruiting volunteers to growth the number of soldiers.

Nevertheless, if the security situation worsens or if too few volunteers come forward, a form of compulsory military service could be considered by Germany's Parliament, the Bundestag.

Under the law, all 18-year-olds in Germany are being sent a questionnaire asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces.

"That is why I am out on the streets today. That is why we are serious regarding striking until compulsory military service is off the table. We will carry on."

Meanwhile, the questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women. All 18-year-old men will have to take a medical exam to assess their fitness for feasible military service.

For context, the organisers of the protests, say the trigger came after some 18-year-olds in the northern German towns of Kiel and Flensburg, were sent official invitations for medical exams, even though they expressed no interest in joining the army on their registration forms.

Meanwhile, the group notes over a hundred demonstrations are planned throughout Germany, including in Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt.

Notably, a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry informed the BBC that under the law, the obligation to undergo a medical examination applies "to all men liable for military service who were born after 31 December 2007".

According to This additionally applies to residents who have, they have no interest in compulsory military service. According to The spokesperson, since July around 1, 000 18-year-old men, who demonstrated no interest in the army, have had the medical exam.

During the Cold War, Germany, like plenty of other European countries, had a substantial army. But it reduced its armed forces during the 1990s after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Germany's former Chancellor, Angela Merkel, concluded compulsory military service in 2011.

But now, in the face of perceived threats from Russia and heavy pressure from Germany's traditional ally, the US, Merz has vowed to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe's strongest conventional army.

In practice, the Bundeswehr at present has around 186, 700 troops. By the early 2030s, Germany wants to raise the number to 260, 000, supplemented by around 200, 000 reservists, so as to meet new Nato force targets and strengthen Germany's defences.

For now, students strike across Germany in protest against military service remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.