Students strike across Germany in protest against military service

School strikes are taking place across Germany to protest the possible reintroduction of compulsory military service. Bela Breitner, an organiser from the School Strike Against Compulsory Military Service, said the national authorities was "serious astir gradually reintroducing compulsory subject service". At 1 protest in Hamburg, demonstrators waved flags and held up banners emblazoned with the words "We won't instrumentality portion successful your wars". German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A voluntary service scheme introduced in January aims to recruit volunteers to increase the number of soldiers. However, if security concerns worsen or too few volunteers step forward, a form of compulsory service could be considered by Germany's Parliament, the Bundestag. Under the law, each 18‑year‑old in Germany receives a questionnaire asking whether they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. One protester, 16‑year‑old Elias Bernhard from Hamburg, said that the responses to the questionnaires "show that young radical bash not privation to articulation the Bundeswehr [Germany's army]". He added, "That is wherefore I americium retired connected the streets today. That is wherefore we are superior astir striking until compulsory subject work is disconnected the table. We volition transportation on." The questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women. All 18‑year‑old men must undergo a medical exam to assess fitness for possible service. Organisers said the trigger came after some 18‑year‑olds in the north German towns of Kiel and Flensburg were sent official invitations for medical exams, despite expressing no interest in joining the service on their registration forms. The group reports that over 100 demonstrations are planned across Germany, including in Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. A Defence Ministry spokesperson told the BBC that, under the law, the requirement to undergo a medical examination applies "to each men liable for subject work who were calved aft 31 December 2007". The spokesperson noted that this also applies to individuals who have stated they have no interest in compulsory military service. Since July, approximately 1,000 18‑year‑old men who showed no interest in the army have had the medical exam. During the Cold War, Germany, like many other European countries, maintained a large army. It reduced its armed forces during the 1990s after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Germany's former Chancellor, Angela Merkel, ended compulsory military service in 2011. Facing perceived threats from Russia and pressure from its traditional ally, the United States, Merz has vowed to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe's strongest conventional army. The Bundeswehr currently has about 186,700 troops. By the early 2030s, Germany aims to increase the figure to 260,000, supplemented by about 200,000 reservists, to meet new NATO targets and strengthen the country's defences.