Tens of thousands of German students protest military service reform amid Russia tensions

Tens of thousands of students took to the streets across Germany on Friday to protest the government’s military service reform amid Berlin’s push to expand the armed forces, citing the alleged threat from Russia.

Organizers of the “School Strike Against Conscription” said around 45,000 students joined demonstrations in some 100 cities and towns on Friday. Police did not provide a nationwide figure, but reported around 2,400 protesters in Berlin, while hundreds more rallied in Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Munich, and Hamburg.

Footage from the video agency Ruptly showed crowds marching through Hamburg carrying banners reading “We won’t fight in your wars,” “Education instead of bombs,” “Not our war” and “Russia is not our enemy.”

Some protesters also targeted Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with banners reading “No Merz, no war, no billionaires!”

“I don’t want to see my child sent off to war by politicians like the ones we currently have in Germany,” one protester told Ruptly. She said she was “more afraid of [European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen, Merz… than of any Russian president.”

A student described the reform as a “form of war preparation,” arguing that young people could eventually be forced “to shoot at young people… for the interests that aren’t ours… but the interests of profit-hungry arms corporations and politicians.”

Germany’s Military Service Modernization Act, which took effect in January, requires 18-year-old men to complete a questionnaire on their willingness and suitability for military service. Mandatory medical examinations for men born in 2008 or later are due to begin in July 2027. Service remains voluntary, but parliament can activate compulsory military service if recruitment targets are not met or the security situation deteriorates.

The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr to more than 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035, citing Germany’s NATO commitments and what it describes as a worsening security environment in Europe.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously warned that Germany must be prepared for a potential conflict with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it intends to attack NATO countries, describing them as “nonsense.”