Students strike across Germany in protest against military service
A law establishing voluntary military service came into effect in January, but protest organisers fear compulsory service could follow.
Students strike across Germany in protest against military service
School strikes are being held across Germany in opposition to the possible return of compulsory military service.
One of the strike organisers, Bela Breitner, from School Strike Against Compulsory Military Service, said the federal government was "serious about gradually reintroducing compulsory military service".
At one demonstration in Hamburg, protesters waved flags and held banners reading "We won't take part in your wars".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made strengthening Germany's military a priority after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A new law bringing in voluntary military service took effect in January, with the goal of recruiting volunteers to increase the number of soldiers.
However, if the security situation deteriorates or too few volunteers come forward, Germany's Parliament, the Bundestag, could consider some form of compulsory military service.
Under the law, all 18-year-olds in Germany are being sent a questionnaire asking whether they are interested and willing to join the armed forces.
One protester, 16-year-old Elias Bernhard from Hamburg, said the questionnaire responses "show that young people do not want to join the Bundeswehr [Germany's army]".
"That is why I am out on the streets today. That is why we are serious about striking until compulsory military service is off the table. We will carry on."
The questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women. All 18-year-old men will also have to undergo a medical examination to determine their fitness for possible military service.
The organisers of the protests say the catalyst 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 had said on their registration forms that they were not interested in joining the army.
The group says more than a hundred demonstrations are planned across Germany, including in Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt.
A Defence Ministry spokesperson told the BBC that under the law, the requirement to undergo a medical examination applies "to all men liable for military service who were born after 31 December 2007".
This also applies to people who have said they have no interest in compulsory military service. The spokesperson said that since July, around 1,000 18-year-old men who showed no interest in the army have undergone the medical exam.
During the Cold War, Germany, like many other European countries, had a large army. But it cut its armed forces during the 1990s after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Germany's former Chancellor, Angela Merkel, ended compulsory military service in 2011.
But now, amid perceived threats from Russia and heavy pressure from Germany's traditional ally, the US, Merz has vowed to turn the Bundeswehr into Europe's strongest conventional army.
The Bundeswehr currently has about 186,700 troops. By the early 2030s, Germany wants to increase that number to 260,000, supported by around 200,000 reservists, in order to meet new Nato force targets and strengthen Germany's defences.