'We are not cannon fodder': 45,000 German students walk out of class to defy conscription plans

From the Newshound archive · first published 26 September 2026 · last updated 27 September 2026.

Across more than 100 German cities on Friday, over 45,000 students walked out of class after the Defence Ministry began summoning 18-year-old men for compulsory medical assessments — including hundreds who had not expressed any wish to join the military. Protesters carried placards reading 'We won't take part in your wars' and demanded that Germany's new military service law, which came into force in January, be scrapped. Organiser Bela Breitner warned that the government is 'serious about the gradual reintroduction of compulsory military service'. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made military expansion a cornerstone of his agenda following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Golo Kirsch, 18, a student from Kiel, said his call-up notice came a year ahead of schedule: 'We were told the medical checks would come in 2027.'

Germany aims to grow its armed forces from around 186,000 to more than 260,000 troops by 2035 to meet NATO targets.

If voluntary recruitment falls short, a Bundestag vote could restore full conscription, suspended since 2011.