Germany: School strike and strategic blockade against military service

The anti-militarist movement is gaining momentum across Germany, marked by a widely supported strike this Friday, September 25, in schools across more than 100 cities. High school and university students marched en masse against the prospect of a return to mandatory military service, drawing over 45,000 demonstrators according to various sources. In Hamburg, a banner declared: “We will not participate in your wars.”

Early in the morning, a blockade was staged on a railway line near the port of this major industrial city to halt the transport of military equipment and the logistics for a military exercise dubbed “Red Storm Charlie.” Organised by dozens of environmental activists, a banner placed across the tracks proclaimed: “There is no climate justice in a militarised world.”

What reignited tensions was the Ministry of Defence sending official summons for medical examinations to several young men in Kiel and Flensburg, cities in the country’s north. Under the new military service law, 18-year-old men are required to undergo a medical test to assess their fitness—with a view to potential military service and enlistment. The legislation came into effect on January 1, 2026.

Although military service is ostensibly voluntary, the spectre of a return to conscription is now on the agenda. Protesters fear that the government is preparing for a gradual return to mandatory military service.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated that “since July, around 1,000 18-year-old men who showed no interest in the military have undergone medical examinations.” Are German authorities planning the forced conscription of young people, even as public opinion remains largely opposed to military matters and war? This is the question raised by these mobilisations.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing coalition aims to equip the country with “the most powerful conventional army in Europe,” with a military budget of around €82 billion for 2026 alone—a figure exceeding even France’s. Despite the significant efforts the military has made to entice young Germans to enlist, the majority still possess enough dignity and historical awareness to refuse participation in the war effort. This legitimate wariness of militarism likely explains the push by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, a member of the SPD (the neoliberal left).

In any case, Germany is witnessing a rising anti-militarist movement capable of countering its leaders’ bellicose ambitions. In December 2025 and March 2026, tens of thousands of high school students took to the streets during national days of action against militarisation. Factories within the German military-industrial complex are frequently targeted by protests. On Thursday, September 3, at least 200 demonstrators blocked the recruitment centre at the Lüttich barracks in Cologne for several hours. It is worth noting that the ruling CDU and the AfD—a neo-Nazi party—are two sides of the same coin, both seeking a return to conscription and a Germany standing at attention in uniform. Protesters vowed to “strike until mandatory military service is off the table.” It was an inspiring mobilisation, coming at a time when anti-militarism is also gradually re-emerging in French high schools and universities.

Machine translation. Top image: nie-wieder-krieg.org