Dozens of U.S. students at a military installation in Germany walked out of middle school Tues protesting Def Sec visit

[bigtree]

Dan Lamothe @DanLamothe
NEW TONIGHT: Dozens of American students at a U.S. military installation in Germany walked out of their middle school on Tuesday as part of protests aimed at an official visit by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The students attend Patch Middle School in Stuttgart, Germany, and peacefully walked out of class for nearly an hour, according to three people familiar with the matter and a letter sent to parents by a school administrator.

Separately, a small group of adults dressed in civilian clothing — likely parents — gathered outside at Stuttgart and protested within view and earshot of Hegseth’s delegation, booing and chanting “DEI!”

WaPo:

__The school administrator’s letter said that about 1 p.m., roughly 55 students “walked out in protest of recent events.” They exited the school in orderly fashion and gathered in a courtyard outside, said the letter, signed by Alexis Small, an assistant principal.

She added that the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which oversees about 67,000 students spread across about 160 schools worldwide, “respects our students’ rights to peacefully express their opinions through speech and other means as long as it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in our school.”

The walkout was organized in part by an eighth-grade student who is not yet 14 years old, she and her mother said in a joint phone interview with The Washington Post. She spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing concerns about backlash from Trump supporters. Other parents verified the girl’s leading role in the protest.

The student said that she and other students decided to act after seeing how Trump’s executive orders would target diversity events, including a drama club performance that celebrated Black History Month with Motown songs. Many involved in the protest, she said, also were concerned with how the Trump administration’s directives would affect people in the LGBTQ+ community.

There was this great sense of community and belonging,” the student said. “Like we’re not alone, because so many kids came out.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/11/hegseth-dei-protests-germany/

[BOSSHOG]

1. And a Child shall lead them

It’s a good life lesson. To see how “they” operate. They being republicans.

[Maru Kitteh]

2. Any parent should feel gross knowing that man was coming to groom their kid.

What a loathsome croc of fecal decay that man is.

[struggle4progress]

3. Gonna to sit at the welcome table

[bigtree]

4. Maddow covered this for a few secs

...for folks who want visuals.

[Aviation Pro]

5. Looks like he wormed his way into 10th SFG's morning PT

Posers are so predictable.

[PortTack]

6. Good! Germany teaching their youth history

[Prairie Gates]

7. These are our youth

Children of US military personnel at an American school.

[LiberalLoner]

12. Yes! So proud of them! As an Army brat who graduated high school from a similar DoD school in the Netherlands...

Well done! 💪👏👏👏👏💙💙💙

[Marcuse]

8. SecDef is going to want a list of names and rank of the parents.

[aggiesal]

9. Bless those kids. n/t

[Bluethroughu]

10. Yes! Military please save the country!

Thank you for the RESISTANCE!

[mommymarine2003]

11. My father was stationed at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart in the early 70's. I attended Stuttgart American High School.

I am impressed that the people had the courage to demonstrate. My mother would always tell me "don't do anything that might affect your father's career." When I lived there, Patch Barracks was mainly a base for military officers and a lot of high-ranking officers. Originally the military personnel had been based in France but had been moved to Stuttgart. My father was a Marine intelligence officer. I remember going downtown with a high school friend. We rode a streetcar to get back to the base. There was a lot of anti-American sentiment at the time, and our streetcar was surrounded by a very large group of demonstrators. We were terrified and did not dare say a word of English. These were the days of the Baader-Meinhof gang. We had to always carry our ID even as a kid to get back on base. I remember the MP's putting mirrors under the car to check for bombs. The officer's club in Frankfurt was bombed. So many memories, in a scary way.