BERLIN—Tens of thousands of German high school students skipped class on 8 May to protest against conscription and militarism. In total, 45,000 took part in demonstrations in 150 towns and cities across the country. “In my class, there’s barely anyone left”, a year 9 student at the Berlin rally told Red Flag.
The nationwide day of action was coordinated by School Strike Against Conscription (Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht), a coalition of activists that has organised two other school strikes since December, when the German parliament passed the Military Service Modernisation Law. Under the new rules, every 18-year-old German receives a questionnaire asking them if they are interested in military service. The young men are required to undergo physical, medical and cognitive testing, as well as a face-to-face consultation assessing their suitability for enlistment.
For now, enlistment remains voluntary. However, last month, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius of the Social Democrats (SPD) announced a target of 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists by 2035—almost double Germany’s current troop numbers. If enough volunteers can’t be found, or “if the strategic situation worsens”, the military service law outlines a path to conscription.
For millions of young Germans, this has cast another shadow over a future already marred by cost-of-living pressures and impending climate disaster. “Dying? That’s not in the timetable”, read one placard at the Berlin demonstration. One high schooler told Red Flag that they would “rather be on the streets than at the front”.
One new regulation requires men between the ages of 17 and 45 to notify the German military (Bundeswehr) if they plan to leave the country for more than three months. Widespread indignation forced the government to back down, stating that the clause was currently suspended.
Organisers chose 8 May, the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, to connect the remembrance of the horrors of that conflict with anti-war resistance today. Chants of “Siamo tutti antifascisti!” (Italian for “We are all anti-fascists”) combined with Palestinian flags and keffiyehs (traditional Palestinian scarves) throughout the demonstrations, highlighting the importance of standing against the far right and the Gaza genocide for tens of thousands marching.
Despite its best marketing efforts and the presence of recruiters at schools, the Bundeswehr has not been successful in recruiting young Germans. Recent reporting revealed that 28 percent of those receiving the enlistment questionnaire ignored it, despite the threat of a €250 euro fine. Of those who completed it, half rated their interest in military service at 0 on a 0-10 scale.
The modernisation law is part of a militarisation drive that began with a €100 billion “special fund” for the military, introduced in 2022 by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The current government, led by the conservatives in coalition with the SPD, changed the constitution to exempt military spending from budgetary debt restrictions.
Headed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, it combines remilitarisation with a class war at home. Merz promised a conference of bankers last month that the state age pension should be only a “basic cover”. Health Minister Nina Warken has said she wants to slash €20 billion from the sector.
A Year 10 student at the Berlin demonstration told Red Flag that young people’s futures are “going down the drain” and demanded that the government “put some money into education”.
A big part of the government’s program aims to make German industry more internationally competitive. Alongside handouts to the bosses, this means attacking workers’ pay and conditions. Last week, Labour Minister Bärbel Bas announced plans to scrap the eight-hour day.
Across the country, crowds included contingents from the teachers’ union. A Berlin teacher told Red Flag they thought it was important to attend because “instead of burning money, we demand money for schools and universities, social services and the health system”.
A central motivation for Germany’s remilitarisation is competition with Russia. In 2023, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said: “We need to become ready for war.” And last month, Germany released the first official military strategy in its post-war history. Pistorius’ foreword declares that a changing “international security situation” means that Germany must have “the most powerful conventional army in Europe”.
This aggressive military build-up is a disaster for workers and young people. Billions for war come at the expense of hospitals and schools. History shows that when imperialist rivalry turns into military conflict, millions of working-class lives are sacrificed at home and at the front.
“It’s about our life, and it’s not their [the politicians’] children that will go to war; they won’t suffer. It’s always the civilian population and above all the poor who will”, a Year 9 student told Red Flag.
The successful school strike demonstrates the potential to build anti-war resistance. School Strike Against Conscription activists are now planning a week of action in June and a conference in July, followed by another nationwide strike after the northern summer break.
