Tens of thousands of high school students took to the streets of cities all over the country to protest against the reintroduction of military service. Many people believe that conscription is inevitable.

Young people gathered in Berlin’s central Potsdamer Square on Thursday and marched through the German capital to protest against the government’s plans to reintroduce military service. While the police counted around 3,000 participants, organizers claimed there were 6,000 demonstrators in Berlin and 50,000 in more than 130 towns and cities across Germany.

  • SeductiveTortoise@piefed.socialEnglish
    5·
    18 hours ago

    I’m not sure if there’s a “military or public service” decision this time, but when I had to go these were the options. Learn how to hold a weapon or learn how to wash old people (or drive an ambulance, help at an orphanage, etc).

    It sucks, as you’re drafted at ~18 years and slightly above, but it’s not the end of the world.

    • kossa@feddit.orgEnglish
      4·
      4 hours ago

      when I had to go these were the options.

      That held true for only a very short period. Basically ‘choosing’ was only a true option from mid-nineties to the end of the draft.

      Ask people how hard it actually was to do civil service in the 70ies and 80ies. You had to really prove that you are morally not able to use a weapon. With weird tests, questionnaires and psych evals. When there’s a real menace on the horizon they really want you to die for your country for their wealth.

      • SeductiveTortoise@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        4 hours ago

        “but when I had to go” does the lifting here. I can’t speak for others.

        Besides that, drafted soldiers can only be sent into combat if war had been declared. For the “conflict” in the Balkans, no drafted soldiers could be sent.