Thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin after the German government approved new legislation on Friday that could allow Germany to mandate military conscription.
According to Al Jazeera, roughly 3,000 protesters gathered on the streets of Berlin after the German parliament approved new legislation that requires all 18-year-old males in the country to fill out a questionnaire asking if they are interested in voluntarily joining the military. However, the legislation also allows the German government to vote to implement mandatory military conscription in the future.
The protest in Berlin against the new legislation was one of the many protests that were held in approximately 90 cities and towns across the country, according to Politico Europe.
A 16-year-old high school student, identified as Martin, told Politico Europe that he skipped school on Friday to protest the legislation. “Why resolve wars by arming up? That’s just repeating what happened before the First and Second World Wars.”
“Why should I do what old men tell me to do?” Martin added. “I’d be actively doing training that doesn’t help me in life except to learn how to kill people.”
Politico Europe reported that Germany is planning to increase the size of its military from 180,000 active soldiers to 260,000 active soldiers and from 55,000 reservists to 200,000 reservists as concerns of Russian aggression continue to increase.
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According to Al Jazeera, while Germany’s new legislation will allow the implementation of voluntary military service for young individuals by sending a questionnaire to all 18-year-old men and women, lawmakers could mandate military conscription with a future vote if more troops are needed. The outlet noted that all males born after January 1, 2008, will be required to complete a medical evaluation and that 18-year-old males will be required to respond to the questionnaire.
Al Jazeera reported that the approval of the legislation by Germany’s parliament comes after NATO allies pledged to increase defense spending in response to President Donald Trump’s demands and amid concerns that Russia could expand the conflict in Ukraine with other European countries.
Addressing the backlash to the new legislation, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius released a video message on Instagram, saying, “Everyone can protest for and against everything. Freedom of expression is one of the major achievements of our democracy. Our entire way of life is a gift — but a gift we have to defend every single day.
“If you want to live in the same way in the future … then you need to be willing to stand up for it,” the German defense minister added. “Neither democracy nor the state can defend themselves. People have to do that, just as they did in the past.”
