Khaberni - Amid fears of an imminent war with Russia, some European countries have resorted to imposing mandatory military service on young men and women.
Throughout Germany, school students are skipping their classes to protest against the government's military service reform.
On Friday, the German Parliament approved a legal change that requires all adult males aged 18 to fill out a questionnaire about their physical fitness and readiness for military service.
As part of the military service reform, the ruling coalition also approved the re-implementation of mandatory medical examinations starting from individuals born in 2008 onwards, according to the American magazine "Politico".
The magazine mentioned that if the army does not achieve its recruitment goals for voluntary service, part of those who underwent the examination might be called upon after a separate vote in the German Parliament (Bundestag).
Protests erupted in about 90 towns and cities across Germany.
According to Berlin police, about 800 people gathered to protest against the reform in the morning, with several thousand expected to arrive in the German capital by the end of the day.
The "School Strike Against Compulsory Conscription" initiative, which is behind the protest on their website, stated, "Politicians and the German army... are arguing about how to reimplement compulsory conscription... but no one is speaking to us.. no one is asking us what we want."
Among the students who skipped school to protest, Martin, a 16-year-old high school student from a town in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, said, "Why solve wars with arms? This is a repetition of what happened before the first and second world wars."
Martin added that he was trying to find a way to circumvent compulsory conscription, for example by going to a psychiatrist or declaring his illness, and wondered, "Why should I do what the elderly command? I will engage in training that only teaches me how to kill people."
Niels, a 17-year-old high school student, said he does not oppose his peers joining the armed forces per se, but the mandatory aspect of the law prompted him to participate in the demonstration.
He added, "My issue is that it should not be imposed on anyone.. perhaps they should consider making the soldier's profession more attractive to those who wish to become soldiers."
The German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, sent a video message to students via Instagram yesterday, Thursday, saying: "Everyone can protest for or against anything.. freedom of expression is one of the most important achievements of our democracy.. our entire way of life is a gift.. but it is a gift that we must defend every day."
He added, "If you want to live the same way in the future... you have to be prepared to defend it.. neither democracy nor the state is capable of defending itself.. people have to do it, as they have done in the past."
Germany plans to increase its troop levels from 180,000 to 260,000 active soldiers, and from 55,000 to 200,000 reserve soldiers, to achieve NATO's targets amid increasing threats from Russia.
The parties involved in the ruling coalition, the conservative bloc, and the Social Democratic Party (center-left), discussed military service reform for several months before reaching an agreement to change the law in November last year.
