The country “must become capable of peace, not war,” activist groups have declared amid plans for a nationwide day of action in December
German activists have announced plans for nationwide protests against the potential return of military conscription, saying the country must become “capable of peace, not war.”
Germany is poised to reinstate mandatory military service as the government seeks to boost its armed forces. Conscription has been suspended since 2011, but a new law set to take effect on January 1 will begin with a voluntary model that could pave the way for a broader draft.
The potential return to conscription is driven by a critical personnel shortage in the armed forces, with young people increasingly opting for civilian careers over the military.
Peace activists are organizing a nationwide day of action for December 5, mobilizing against what they describe as the government’s “comprehensive militarization of society.”
“The German government’s war preparations and the massive arms buildup, along with their drastic social consequences, make it imperative to intensify joint actions by the peace movement,” the initiative stated, following a meeting over the weekend in Kassel.
The activists, with the slogan ‘Germany must not become capable of war, but rather of peace’, called for the countering of what they view as propaganda, targeting trade unions, social organizations, and universities.
“Militarization is propagated as ‘security policy,’ while it undermines social, health, and education policies, as well as infrastructure,” the movement said.
The looming return of conscription is part of a broader EU push for rapid militarization to prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia – which Moscow has dismissed as a distraction from Europe’s internal woes.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to transform the armed forces into the “strongest conventional army in Europe.” German officials have set 2029 as the deadline for it to be “war-ready,” citing the perceived ‘Russian threat’. Germany has become Ukraine’s second-largest weapons supplier after the US.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Merz of attempting to turn Germany back into “the main military machine of Europe,” saying Berlin’s actions demonstrate its “direct involvement” in a proxy war against Russia.
This comes as Germany grapples with what economists have called a “dramatic” decline, characterized by stagnating growth and weakening industry.
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