Protests of German teenagers against military service. High school students want to avoid enlisting in the army

Thousands of children and teenagers came out on Thursday to protest on the streets of German cities against the new military service law, reports DPA, taken over by Agerpres.

The “school strike against recruitment” attracted 50,000 participants nationwide, organizers said.

After months of deliberation, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration passed a law late last year to reintroduce conscription — initially voluntary — in an effort to increase the number of soldiers.

Mandatory recruitment for 18-year-olds

All teenagers will be given a questionnaire after they turn 18, as a first step to assess their ability and motivation to serve in the military. Boys are required to complete the form, while girls complete it if they wish to do so.

In Berlin, young people gathered in Potsdamer Platz and marched to Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg. The police counted approximately 3,000 participants, while the organizers stated that 6,000 students participated.

Protesters carried placards urging Chancellor Merz to go to the front, while chanting “never, never, never conscription”.

There were also demonstrations in many other cities. According to the police, approximately 600 young people took to the streets in Munich.

In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, larger rallies were planned in Bonn and Dusseldorf, while in Hamburg schoolchildren were to demonstrate in the late afternoon.

The new military service law, which came into force on January 1, is being touted as a response to the perceived threat posed by Russia, with Germany lagging behind in its NATO recruitment targets.

The program is intended to help increase the number of troops from 180,000 to 260,000, with an additional reserve force to reach 200,000 combatants.