Thousands of protesters marched through Munich on Saturday, demanding more money for education and healthcare as they rallied against a return to compulsory military service, spending cuts and rising living costs.
Footage shows demonstrators waving flags, carrying banners and chanting slogans. Placards declared ‘We are loud! Because you are stealing our future’, ‘Super-rich steal the future of young and old’ and ‘Imagine there is war and nobody goes’. Some protesters also waved flags combining German and Russian colours.
“Merz naturally doesn’t listen to us. He listens to his donors, and we do what we can do. We’re here trying to raise awareness among people,” one protester said.
The march followed a call by youth initiative ‘Gen Z Regelt’ for demonstrations in more than 30 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Cologne.
Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011. Under recruitment rules introduced in January, 18-year-old German men must complete a questionnaire assessing their suitability and willingness to serve, while participation is voluntary for women.
Military service itself remains voluntary. Restoring compulsory call-ups would require further legislation if Germany cannot recruit enough personnel and the security situation demands it.
“We want peace with everyone, not just with Russia. We also take to the streets for peace. But peace isn’t handed to you on a silver platter. Peace also requires certain political parties to commit and stand up for peace, while we wave peace flags down here,” the protester continued.
The man, who said he worked for a newspaper company, also accused the government and media of spreading fear to deter people from joining the demonstrations.
Another demonstrator, Marcel Dold, called for unity over shared concerns and urged protesters to keep the marches peaceful.
“I want us to also show how peacefully we take to the streets here. And we won’t let ourselves be intimidated by those prone to violence and so on; that is also very important to me,” Dold added.
Several luxury shops in central Munich had boarded up their windows before the march over fears of unrest. Police later said the demonstration was largely peaceful, despite isolated incidents.
Source: Viory
