Following the strike against mandatory military service on September 25—which drew 45,000 students in over 100 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Kiel, and Munich—the coalition “Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht” has called for a new protest on November 20.
“The rich want war; young people want a future,” the students declare, demanding the repeal of the military service modernization law and the immediate suspension of medical examinations for those born in 2008 or later, convinced that these measures are a prelude to the gradual reintroduction of mandatory conscription.
Given the extremely low response rate—so far, only 530 young people have agreed to enlist—the government plans to expand mandatory medical examinations. Another cause for alarm among the protesters is the fact that, in some cities, young people who had stated in questionnaires that they did not want to join the armed forces have been summoned.
For the time being and until 2027, enlistment remains voluntary, but if the goal of reaching 260,000 soldiers is not met, the German government plans to resort to a lottery system among those deemed fit during the medical examinations to compel them to perform military service—a prospect that young people strongly reject.