Thousands of students took to the streets in Germany against compulsory military service

Tens of thousands of students participated in the protests organized by the "School Strike Against Compulsory Military Service" initiative, consisting of various youth and student organizations across the country.

Students gathered in Leopold Square in the capital Berlin and then walked towards the Gesundbrunnen metro station.

The demonstrators carried signs and banners reading "The rich want war, students want a future", "Peace without weapons", "Students are against compulsory military service", "Resistance generation instead of falling prey to unmanned aerial vehicles" and "Vocational education instead of military service".

At the demonstration, in which Palestinian supporters also participated, slogans were chanted: "Freedom for Palestine", "German weapons and money are committing murder in the world", "There should never be compulsory military service again", "(German Prime Minister Friedrich) Merz to the front" and "Today is not a school day, it is a strike day".

Some students threw survey letters they received from the German Armed Forces into the paper shredder to determine their motivation and suitability for military service.

According to reports in the German press, 45 thousand people participated in the demonstrations held in approximately 100 cities across the country.

THE LAW PUT INTO FORCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

Germany aims to increase its total number of soldiers to 460 thousand by 2035 due to the threat from Russia and the resulting changes in NATO's plans.

In this context, the law on the regulation of military service, which aims to increase the number of soldiers in the country, came into force on January 1.

According to the law, men will first be called up for military service on a voluntary basis. However, if the targeted number of soldiers cannot be reached through voluntary applications, need-based compulsory military service may be implemented to close the gap.

The German Armed Forces send out a questionnaire to those who turn 18 to determine their motivation and suitability to serve in the German army. Additionally, military examination became mandatory for men born after January 1, 2008.

Compulsory military service in Germany was suspended in 2011.