Demonstrators across some 90 cities have denounced the legal change, which they see as laying the groundwork for full conscription being reinstated<\/p>\n
Thousands of demonstrators have marched in cities across Germany to protest Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s plan to overhaul the country\u2019s military service system, accusing the government of laying the groundwork for forced mobilization.
\nOn Friday, the German parliament approved changes to the military-service law expanding recruitment and giving Berlin tools to reactivate conscription if volunteer numbers fall short.
\nRallies took place in around 90 cities \u2013 including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne \u2013 both before and after the vote. Footage showed protesters chanting anti-war slogans and carrying banners reading \u201cNo to conscription,\u201d\u00a0\u201cWe will not be cannon fodder\u201d and \u201cYour war \u2013 without us.\u201d Protesters slammed the reform as \u201crecruitment of death\u201d and urged investment in education and welfare instead of weapons.
\nOne protester told Ruptly she feared her teenage sons would soon be drafted, while another said: \u201cMerz should go to the front himself and risk his own life.\u201d Some linked the reform to Germany\u2019s broader military buildup, warning that Berlin is preparing for a war against Russia. Several speakers argued the law \u2013 and the rearmament push overall \u2013 serves the interests of major arms companies rather than the public.<\/p>\n
Germany abolished compulsory military service in 2011 and moved to an all-volunteer force. But amid a NATO-driven military, Berlin now seeks to expand the Bundeswehr, citing a worsening security environment. Last month, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius claimed Russia could attack a NATO member \u201cas early as 2028,\u201d using the warning to press for sweeping rearmament.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Merz approval rating hits record low<\/p>\n
Under the new Military Service Modernization Act, all 18-year-old men must register for potential service by completing a questionnaire and undergoing medical screening starting in 2026. The reform stops short of reinstating full conscription but creates the legal basis for draft call-ups via lottery if voluntary recruitment falls short.
\nCritics say Berlin is relying on fear-based scenarios to force through unpopular measures and justify massive military spending. Younger Germans are especially opposed: a recent Forsa survey for Stern found that 63% of adults aged 18 to 29 reject compulsory service.
\nRussia has dismissed claims that it plans to attack NATO as \u201cnonsense,\u201d calling them an excuse for inflated military budgets and a way to distract the public from domestic problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Demonstrators across some 90 cities have denounced the legal change, which they see as laying the groundwork for full conscription being reinstated Thousands of demonstrators have marched in cities across…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23777,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}