Overview
- Organisers said more than 45,000 people joined a coordinated 'Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht' on Friday, with hundreds to about 1,000 participants in many cities including Frankfurt, Leipzig and Kassel.
- Protesters specifically targeted mandatory Musterungen — medical and fitness screenings introduced under the new 2026 Wehrdienst law — and warned that some screenings have already been carried out ahead of a planned nationwide rollout in July 2027.
- The street demands call for permanent abolition of general conscription, a formal right to strike for pupils and more school funding instead of greater military spending.
- Legal experts and school authorities said pupils lack a formal strike right and face disciplinary measures for unexcused absences that vary by federal state, while apprentices may only lawfully strike when a union calls a tariff-related labour action.
- Cities and police escorted the marches, imposing parking and route restrictions that caused temporary traffic limits, and the protests could intensify public debate over Musterung timing, school enforcement and whether the Bundestag will ever approve a Bedarfswehrpflicht.