More than 50,000 pupils are expected to boycott classrooms across Germany in a nationwide protest against the government's rearmament policy, which organisers say turns young people into 'cannon fodder'. Despite threats from teachers' associations and education ministries of penalties and expulsion, organisers anticipate participation at least as high as the estimated 50,000 who attended each of the first two strikes.
Background of the Protest
Hannes Kramer, spokesperson for the movement Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht (School Strike Against Conscription), told the Guardian: 'The government and industry are preparing for war and we, the young, are supposed to become the cannon fodder. Neither have we even been consulted.' The unrest follows Friedrich Merz's government introducing controversial changes to military service policy, arguing the country needs to boost defences against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Under the Military Service Modernisation Act, mandatory questionnaires are sent to all 18-year-olds to assess their willingness and suitability for military service. From next year, compulsory medical tests will be introduced. The law also includes a clause allowing men aged 17 to 45 to travel abroad for longer than three months only with armed forces permission. While the legislation stops short of conscription, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said it remains on the table if recruitment fails. Experts say the professional military needs to expand by about 80,000 members to 260,000 over the next 10 years, and reservists by 140,000 to 200,000.
Timing and Symbolism
The third school boycott in five months is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the end of World War II and victory over Nazi Germany on 8 May 1945. Kramer, a 21-year-old educational science student, said: 'We use this date to make clear the consequence of war and what the consequences of rampant militarisation can be.' He added that 'almost half of the federal budget is being spent on tanks, bombs and infrastructure to prepare the country for war,' with German companies, arms factories, and banks set to gain.
The German government plans to spend €779bn (£673bn) on defence through to 2030, roughly doubling spending from the previous five years, exceeding Nato's 3.5% of GDP target. Merz has framed rearmament as essential for Germany's and Europe's long-term security, stating: 'If you want peace, prepare for war.'
Student Concerns
Kramer argued rearmament could propel Germany into conflict: 'Even though the situation is different, we feel the parallels in the rhetoric of German ambitions towards global influence and power through military might.' At the last demonstration in March, pupils protested across 150 towns and cities with banners reading 'The rich want war, the youth want a future' and 'Dying is not on the timetable'. They highlighted the contrast between multibillion-euro rearmament and underfunded education. One poster asked: 'Why should I fight for a country that is not even capable of fighting for us young people?'
Kramer, a member of the Socialist German Workers Youth (SDAJ), said the movement grew from a collective feeling that self-determination was being diminished, part of a series of crises including the pandemic, teacher shortages, housing issues, and climate concerns. While the government is not yet obliging anyone to sign up, Kramer believes it is only a matter of time: 'I believe in future it will be hard to refuse to serve.'
