Germany – School strike against conscription

War never again
We will stop conscription
Decisions of the 3^rd school strike conference on 18 & 19 July 2026 in Essen

Since January, “registration forms for military service” have been sent to all 18-year-olds, medical screenings are scheduled to begin next year. The federal government is threatening to reintroduce conscription if they regard the number of volunteers as insufficient. But we do not want to be forced into military service or go to war.

This is demonstrated by the 99.82% of young people who do not want to perform military service despite receiving the questionnaire—with 28% of men even ignoring it, despite the threat of fines. This is shown by the three school strikes against conscription with around 50,000 participants, and this is shown by the protests against Veterans’ Day across Germany.

We continue to fight against conscription and militarisation! We are becoming even more active…

1…for we do not want mandatory questionnaires, fines, medical screenings for conscription, the establishment of medical examination centres across the country, or the planned integration of the German voluntary service into military service. These are means of preparing for the reintroduction of conscription and, in turn, another war initiated by Germany.

2…for we do not want to give up 180 days of our lives to be conditioned for drill and obedience in a barracks. The German Armed Forces seek to normalise itself through the presence of youth officers in schools, advertising campaigns, and by enticing us with over €2,000 a month and a free driver’s license. They sell military service to us as an “adventure,” while we know that coercion, humiliation, sexism, right-wing extremism, and racism await us. After our compulsory service ends, we remain reservists for the rest of our lives, liable to be forced into military exercises and war for decades to come.

3…for we do not want to go to war, where we would be expected to shoot at young people from other countries—people who, just like us, do not want to go to war; who, just like us, have fears and hopes and want a future; and who, just like us, have nothing to gain and everything to lose from this war. Conscription is intended to train us as cannon fodder and force us into the trenches. War costs us our lives, while corporations like Rheinmetall rake in record profits.

4…for we do not want to be forced to take up arms so that Germany becomes “Europe’s leading military power once again” (Brandter, Alliance 90/The Greens) and the German Armed Forces become “Europe’s strongest conventional army” (Merz, CDU and Pistorius, SPD). We see what this leading power stands for when the German government supplies weapons to Israel and makes itself complicit in the annihilation and displacement of the Palestinian people, or when it remains silent on—or supports—illegal wars of choice, such as the one against Iran. The German Armed Forces stand for securing and fighting for trade routes and spheres of influence, rather than for the interests of the general population.

5…for we are already feeling the effects of preparations for war as billions upon billions are poured into rearmament, while our schools and universities are starved of funds, our wages fall, and cuts are made to healthcare and social services. We pay for every tank and every missile with dilapidated schools and social security cuts. We study in run-down buildings, using outdated materials, and are taught by overworked teachers. Even after leaving school, there is hardly any prospect of a secure future. Hardly any companies offer apprenticeships or retain apprentices afterwards. We face too low wages amidst rising living costs and mass layoffs.

University education, too, is increasingly becoming a luxury. Furthermore, we cannot even look forward to a pension or a safety net in the event of illness or unemployment. The federal government exploits this situation by presenting the German Armed Forces as the only alternative available to young people today. It is not just conscription that forces many of us to take up arms, but also an increasing lack of prospects.

6…for we also oppose any form of compulsory service—whether hypocritically presented as a “substitute” for conscription or under Article 12a of the Basic Law mandated in a “state of defence”. We also specifically oppose medical corps and military hospital services, which can be expressly required of women in the event of war.

7 …because our strikes and actions can make a difference. School strikes against conscription have become an integral part of the movement. We see this when figures on conscientious objection are no longer being published. We see it when the media simply cannot grasp that we are capable of organising ourselves to pursue our own interests, and consequently claim that we have been infiltrated or are “left-wing extremists”! We are pupils actively involved in a broad alliance against conscription, rearmament, and war. Anyone who is genuinely committed to the fight against conscription can be part of this alliance.

Attempts are being made to intimidate us by locking us inside school buildings during strikes, banning rallies in schoolyards, and filing charges for slogans used at demonstrations. Yet we will not be deterred; we respond with further actions and strikes!

To take a stand against military conscription, we will:

1 Organise the next school strike against conscription on Friday, September 25!

With this, we will take collective action during the week of the International Day of Peace and strike during the large-scale military exercise Red Storm Charlie in Hamburg —which serves as preparation for war.

2 Join the demonstration “No to military build-up, conscription, and war! For peace, democratic rights, and social security!” on October 3rd in Berlin and Stuttgart. On October 2nd, we will take part in the “Uncontrollable – We don’t fancy War or Conscription!” concert-rally in Berlin! Afterwards, on October 4th, we want to learn from one another and develop perspectives together at the youth congress against war in Berlin.

3 We disrupt appearances by the German Armed Forces and create schools free from the German Armed Forces!
To this end, we aim to conduct surveys, information sessions, and collect signatures for petitions; pass resolutions via votes at schoolyard rallies, pupil council meetings, pupil assemblies, or school conferences; and actively confront military youth officers during their school visits. To achieve this, we are establishing local strike committees at every school; where we learn the practical skills of organising right where we spend our days, working together with our fellow students to prevent militarisation. We want to take action with at least one of these initiatives in every strike committee.

4 We link the fight against preparations for war with the struggle against social security and social services cuts!
That is why we participate in nationwide demonstrations and protests against social security cuts. For our next strike day, we are inviting speakers from DGB-affiliated trade unions and standing in solidarity with the nationwide days of action against social security cuts scheduled for September 26.

5 Let’s network and broaden our reach!
Our struggle concerns everyone—that is why we are strengthening our exchange with students, apprentices, teachers, parents, trade unions, and the peace movement, and join forces in action.

6 We are also building networks beyond Germany—because we must take the fight against conscription and militarisation beyond national borders!
On November 20, we are holding a day of action in Germany, as there organisations from other countries are also taking action against rearmament, war, and conscription.

On November 14–15, we are holding the 4th School Strike Conference (e.g., in Bonn) to discuss and decide on further school strike days, actions, and strategic directions, and to strengthen our networks.

No to military conscription! The rich want war; the youth want a future!

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