20-euro fine – Students strike against conscription anyway

Image: Wenig Boese / Shutterstock.com

At Eschbach High School in Stuttgart, we are currently seeing just how quickly political protest can take a toll on everyday school life. As reported by SWR, several students who participated in the “school strike against mandatory military service” received letters from the Public Order Office. Inside: a warning and a 20-euro fine. The charge is simple—unexcused absence from class. That is not the real debate here. For the case raises an uncomfortable question: How much political engagement can a school tolerate if it does not take place after school hours?

The protest came as no surprise

The first strike took place on December 5, coinciding with the Bundestag’s approval of the new Military Service Act. Students in Stuttgart also joined the protest. One of them is 16-year-old Marco. He says: “Because the school strike is a way for us to bring this issue to the media’s attention. To show that we don’t want to be forced to join the army.”

Those involved were aware that the protest would not go unpunished. Marco says he was absent for several hours. The student makes it clear: “We know that we deliberately violated compulsory education laws.” They had expected to face disciplinary talks, perhaps even school-imposed consequences. The fact that this would lead to proceedings with the public order office apparently hit many harder than they had anticipated.

The school and the authorities are taking a firm stance

According to Marco, several students were summoned to the principal’s office after the first strike. There, they were warned of “severe consequences” should the incident happen again. Shortly thereafter, the fines office sent out the warnings. The city of Stuttgart confirmed that such notices had been issued.

The authorities’ stance is also clear: a demonstration is not considered a valid excuse. Gerhard Brand, the state chairman of the Education and Training Association, defends the decision, saying, “That was a deliberate act of truancy; that’s a whole different ballgame.”

The second strike shows what this is really about

Nevertheless, some students were absent from class again during the next protest. Marco explains their reasoning this way: “We didn’t want to let that intimidate us; we didn’t want to give the school administration the satisfaction.” Others chose to stay in class out of fear of further disciplinary action.

This is precisely where the issue becomes political. Of course, schools need rules. But democracy isn’t just about following rules. It also thrives on young people speaking out, challenging the status quo, and taking a stand. Anyone who treats students engaged in political protest merely as a disciplinary problem may have defended compulsory education—but has done little to truly take democratic thinking seriously.

Source: swr.de