“Don’t want to get shot right away”

published by Zeit Online

On December 5, 2025, around 5,000 schoolchildren, students, and some teachers and parents took to the streets in Hamburg to protest against the impending introduction of compulsory military service. During the rally, it was announced that the Military Service Modernization Act (WDModG) had been passed. This means that all men born in 2008 or later will be required to undergo a medical examination starting next year. If the desired number of volunteers is not reached, a random selection process will be used to decide who will be drafted. The draft law itself did not specify a numerical target for a satisfactory number of volunteers. Instead, one of the three objectives in the draft law was stated as follows: “The possibility for the federal government to introduce compulsory basic military service by statutory order, even outside of times of tension or defense, if the German Bundestag agrees.” This paves the way for possible conscription despite peace. Students demonstrated against the federal government's plans in around 90 cities.