The key facts

  • Berlin students blocked school entrances, demanding more funds for education and opposing the return of compulsory military service.
  • Actions took place at the Andreas Gymnasium (Friedrichshain), the Leibniz Gymnasium (Kreuzberg), and near the Ellen Key school.
  • The protest wave began on Monday at the French Gymnasium in central Berlin in solidarity with demonstrations in France.

Actions at Berlin schools

On Friday, students at Berlin schools blocked the entrances to gymnasium buildings, demanding increased education funding and opposing plans to reinstate compulsory military service. The action also expressed solidarity with large-scale student protests in France. This was reported by the public broadcaster RBB.

What happened at the Andreas Gymnasium

According to RBB, dozens of students gathered on Friday morning at the Andreas Gymnasium in the Friedrichshain district and used garbage bins to block access to the building. Participants held placards reading 'Stop compulsory military service and cuts in education,' 'Education, not war,' 'Smaller classes,' and 'Solidarity with France.'

Organizers and other protest sites

The initiative 'School strike against conscription' stated that the action was aimed primarily at increasing spending on education and against plans to reintroduce compulsory military service. Protests also took place at the Leibniz Gymnasium in the Kreuzberg district, and some students marched past the Ellen Key school.

Start of the protest wave

Friday's actions continued a series of protests that began on Monday, when students at the French Gymnasium in central Berlin blocked access to their building in solidarity with the ongoing demonstrations in France.