More Than 50,000 German Pupils Expected to Strike Against Rearmament Policy

More than 50,000 pupils across Germany are expected to boycott classes and demonstrate in the streets on Friday in a nationwide protest against the government's rearmament policy. Organisers said the aim is to prevent the policy from turning young people into cannon fodder.

They expect the number of participants to match or exceed the estimated 50,000 who joined each of the first two strikes held in the past five months. Education ministries and teachers' associations have warned that anyone who demonstrates during school hours could face penalties and even expulsion.

Background to the Legislation The government introduced changes under the Military Service Modernisation Act after the legislation passed in December. Mandatory questionnaires are being sent to all 18-year-olds to assess their willingness and suitability for military service, with compulsory medical tests set to begin next year.

The law also states that men aged between 17 and 45 will in theory need permission from the armed forces to travel abroad for longer than three months. The legislation stops short of reinstating conscription, although the defence minister has said that option remains possible if the current measures do not attract enough recruits.

According to available figures, the professional military would need to expand by about 80,000 members to reach 260,000 over the next 10 years, while reservists would need to grow by 140,000 to reach 200,000 in a similar period.

The government has said it plans to allocate €779bn into defence from now until the end of the decade, roughly doubling previous five-year spending levels. Officials stated this would put Germany on track to exceed Nato spending targets of 3.5% of GDP by 2030.

The changes were introduced amid growing threats from Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The government has also cited a changed transatlantic relationship with the United States as a factor in its security planning. A spokesperson for the movement said the government and industry are preparing for war while young people have not been consulted.

The spokesperson added that nearly half of the federal budget is being spent on tanks, bombs and related infrastructure.

Organisers have highlighted what they described as a contrast between multibillion-euro military spending and an underfunded education system. They pointed to crumbling schools, teacher shortages, a difficult housing situation for young people and ignored concerns about climate as part of a series of crises affecting the young.

” One poster asked why anyone should fight for a country that does not fight for its young people. The movement grew from a sense among pupils that their self-determination was being diminished, according to a spokesperson. The spokesperson said young people fear they may eventually be obliged to serve and that refusal could become difficult in the future.