Student protests in Schleswig-Holstein: military service law under fire!

Student protests in Schleswig-Holstein: military service law under fire!

The protest is making waves in Schleswig-Holstein: students from several cities are vehemently campaigning against the new military service law. On December 5, 2025, demonstrations took place in Kiel, Lübeck, Flensburg and Itzehoe in which hundreds of young people stood up for their beliefs. Around 1,000 people gathered in Kiel and around 350 in Lübeck n-tv reported.

The “No to compulsory military service” alliance has said loudly tagesschau.de underlined the necessity of these protests. Critics not only fear a militarization of society, but also warn that conscription could lead to many young people being forced to serve in arms if there are not enough volunteers. The focus is particularly on young men who were born after January 1, 2008: In the future, they will have to fill out questionnaires and present themselves for examination.

Preparing for an important vote

The law, which has already been passed by the Bundestag, is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2026. The Federal Council will deal with the issue before Christmas. The news about this law caused a lot of waves: a 17-year-old student from Kiel announced that today's strike would not be the last. A nationwide school strike is already being planned on March 5th to continue to draw attention to the problem and strengthen the voices of young people.

The protests under the motto “School strike against conscription” took place in around 90 cities and are attracting more and more young people. “We don’t want to end up as cannon fodder,” the demonstrators chant, making their fears and worries clear. The Berlin State Student Committee supports the protests and emphasizes that the perspectives of young people urgently need to be incorporated into political decisions.

Criticism of politics

Despite the enthusiastic demonstrations, students are also under pressure from teachers' associations, which warn of legal consequences if students fail to attend class without excuse. Association president Stefan Düll makes it clear that students are not employees and that they can face legal action. Tamme, 25, also criticized the austerity measures at schools and universities, which endanger the education of young people.

The discussion about the military service law is also a signal for Germany's security policy realignment, while the federal government points to international tensions. Critics, on the other hand, warn of the possible overtaxing of young people and the pressure that could arise from a return to compulsory military service. The already tense conditions at schools and universities could become even more burdensome with additional regulations, as supporters of the school strike report.

It remains to be seen how the protests will develop and what impact they will have on political decisions. However, one thing is certain: the voice of the younger generation is becoming louder and louder and can no longer be ignored.

While the students are fighting for their rights, another exciting process is also taking place in parallel: the film “Ferrari”, which will be released in cinemas on December 25th, will tell the story of the legendary Enzo Ferrari. Michael Mann has taken on this topic and prepared it in an exciting way. The connection between these two themes couldn't be greater: both sports car construction and military service are about control, success and the challenges of life.