Students rallied in some 100 cities and towns across the country against Berlin’s military buildup.
Tens of thousands of students took to the streets across Germany on Friday to protest the government’s military service reform amid Berlin’s push to expand the armed forces, citing the alleged threat from Russia.
Organizers of the “School Strike Against Conscription” said around 45,000 students joined demonstrations in some 100 cities and towns on Friday. Police did not provide a nationwide figure, but reported around 2,400 protesters in Berlin, while hundreds more rallied in Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Munich, and Hamburg.
Footage from the video agency Ruptly showed crowds marching through Hamburg carrying banners reading “We won’t fight in your wars,” “Education instead of bombs,” “Not our war” and “Russia is not our enemy.”
Some protesters also targeted Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with banners reading “No Merz, no war, no billionaires!”
🔥🪖 Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht
Zahlreiche Schüler sind am Freitag erneut auf die Straße gegangen, um gegen eine mögliche Wehrpflicht zu demonstrieren. Wie die Initiative „Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht“ mitteilte, gab es bundesweit etwa 100 Demonstrationen. Pressesprecher… pic.twitter.com/xMTDFU8qBM
— Freistil (@Freistil) September 25, 2026
“I don’t want to see my child sent off to war by politicians like the ones we currently have in Germany,” one protester told Ruptly. She said she was “more afraid of [European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen, Merz… than of any Russian president.”
A student described the reform as a “form of war preparation,” arguing that young people could eventually be forced “to shoot at young people… for the interests that aren’t ours… but the interests of profit-hungry arms corporations and politicians.”
Germany’s Military Service Modernization Act, which took effect in January, requires 18-year-old men to complete a questionnaire on their willingness and suitability for military service. Mandatory medical examinations for men born in 2008 or later are due to begin in July 2027. Service remains voluntary, but parliament can activate compulsory military service if recruitment targets are not met or the security situation deteriorates.
🇩🇪 In #Berlin skandieren die Demonstranten
„Merz, leck Eier!“ 🔈💥
Die Schüler protestieren gegen die Wehrpflicht… pic.twitter.com/LFJESiCR8Q
— 「✦ Finest ✦」 (@fines7x) September 25, 2026
The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr to more than 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035, citing Germany’s NATO commitments and what it describes as a worsening security environment in Europe.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously warned that Germany must be prepared for a potential conflict with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it intends to attack NATO countries, describing them as “nonsense.”
Is this where the rubber hits the road? How many of them would willingly signed up to be matyrs for Pfizer?
Send caught in the headlights Merz to the frontline clutching a Russian dictionary
Good on them. NO MORE BROTHER WARS. The Russians and the Germans are our brothers and there is NO WAY my kids or their kids will be fighting these globalists and bankers wars. We will fight the globalists instead.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they can remove our guns, track our phones, de bank us whatever but we can still make a pitchfork from a stick and a stone. These politicians can’t hide from millions of us…..
The j3ws want to genocide the germans yet again.
So do half the Germans, sadly.
I’ve talked to more than a few of them, all insufferably woke and drunk on the globohomo kool-aid.
What sort of an idiot would keep pouring money into a bottomless pit and a war that is already lost with no hope whatsoever for a favorable outcome?
You would have to ask our illustrious foresighted leaders that.
New Zealand has pledged a total of NZ$152 million in financial and in-kind support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. This total extends through December 2026 and is broken down into three main categories:
Military Support: NZ$102.3 million for training, equipment, and materiel, including the deployment of up to 100 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel who have trained over 53,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Humanitarian Assistance: NZ$31.9 million to aid conflict-affected communities in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Legal and Human Rights Support: NZ$5.2 million to support international legal processes, human rights monitoring, and investigations into war crimes.
In addition to financial aid, New Zealand has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia, including a 35% tariff on imports and travel bans on over 1,300 individuals and entities.
Under international law, paying tax that funds war crimes is a criminal offence. We the people have the right — and a clear duty — to say no. https://notaxforwar.com/
The wheels are already coming off the globalists bizarre warmongering plans and its not even underway yet.