After a gap of 80 years since the fall of fascism in 1945, Germany is once again agog with the militarization of the society in the name of fighting against the possible aggression by Russia. The ground has been laid by the continuing war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Merz along with other two heads of France and Britain are encouraging President Zeleneskyy to continue the devastating war against Russia by making use of the weapons supplied by the European nations. The armaments companies of Germany are most happy at this latest mood in Europe and they have stepped weapons production saying that Germany has to be fully prepared to meet the challenge from President Putin.
But the students and the trade unions are opposing the military drafting proposal as that is meant to cut the costs in social expenditure in the coming period. Already, the Merz government has taken a lot of austerity measures to take care of the challenges on the economic front, now with the militarization moves, the burden on the working class will be much more in 2026 and 2027.
More than 55,000 students in over 80 cities across Germany went on strike last Friday against the “Military Service Modernization Act,” which was passed by the federal parliament, the Bundestag, that same day.
According to the new law, starting this January, all 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire that will test their willingness and interest in military service. Completing the form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women. From July 2027, men will also be required to undergo medical examinations.
The move is seen as a major step toward the return of conscription and marks a significant escalation in conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s campaign to turn Germany into the largest conventional military power on the continent.
The law passed 323 to 272, despite determined opposition from left-wing members of parliament from the “Die Linke” party. The approved draft is nominally committed to a system of voluntary military service, but as written, it leaves room for compulsory conscription if recruitment targets are not met.
The goal is to significantly increase the ranks of the German army, which currently numbers about 183,000 regular soldiers and only 49,000 reservists. According to NATO targets, Germany is supposed to reach a strength of 460,000 soldiers—260,000 regulars and 200,000 reservists. That would mark a near-return to troop levels common during the Cold War, when West Germany maintained an army of more than half-a-million men before downsizing its ranks in the 1990s.
The students’ “School Strike Against Conscription” initiative mobilized youth opposition nationwide and demonstrated the extent of the resistance against the law. Students formed strike committees and already spent the past few weeks preparing demonstrations, writing speeches, designing posters, conducting surveys, and mobilizing their classmates.
The wide participation by the students in the strikes and demonstrations has enthused the organisers as also the leftist Die Linke which mobilized all its power to defeat the motion in Bundestag on December 5. The left students unions as also the other fringe groups of Green Party and the Social Democrats have joined hands in the anti-militarisation demonstrations which have emerged as the biggest protest of the youth and students community in the recent period.
More than 2,000 students demonstrated against conscription in Munich. In Berlin, over 10,000 young people took to the streets, 5,000 in Hamburg, and 3,000 in Dresden. In major cities like Munich, Kiel, Stuttgart, and Cologne, thousands of young people also protested. Even in smaller towns like Marburg, Landau, and Friedberg, hundreds took to the streets.
The German Communist Party (DKP) had also called for the strikes. In many places, party members supported the demonstrations. Many other organizations expressed their solidarity, such as the German Peace Society-United War Resisters (DFG-VK) and individual trade union branches.
According to German news agencies, in several cities, participants were subjected to sometimes severe repression. In Halberstadt, high school students were locked in by the school administration and deprived of their freedom. The school administration decreed that recess would take place indoors.
In Leipzig, police removed two students from a demonstration because of a banner calling on Chancellor Merz to join the German Armed Forces himself. The officers claimed this was illegal but could not cite any law that had actually been violated.
In Hamburg, police banned a feeder demonstration and prohibited a spontaneously registered demonstration. In Rostock, the assembly authority unilaterally postponed a registered demonstration until 1 p.m., after school had ended.
The protest will not end with Friday’s strikes, emphasized the “School Strike Against Conscription” initiative. “We will remain vocal until conscription is off the table. We will oppose every step towards its introduction,” announced Ronja Ruh from Berlin.
The initiative is calling for a second round of school strikes on March 5, 2026. Until then, they are preparing for the next strike and campaigning against recruitment in schools. (IPA Service)
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