03/30/2024 – 17:26
German cities were the scene of traditional Hallelujah Saturday peace marches, which this year took place against the backdrop of the persistent conflict in Ukraine and the recent war in Gaza. Thousands of people participated in this Hallelujah Saturday (03/30) in Germany of peace marches, traditionally organized during the Easter weekend, and which this year had as their theme the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Around 70 peace marches or events took place across the country, with the motto “Now, more than ever, together for peace”.
The largest demonstration brought together 3,500 people in Berlin, the country's capital, according to police. In Stuttgart, in the southwest of the country, 1,500 people attended, in Munich, in the south, almost 850, and in Cologne, in the west, 400 people.
The spokesperson for the “cooperative for peace” network, Kristian Golla, declared that he was satisfied with the level of participation, similar to last year.
The pacifists' main demands this year were a ceasefire in Ukraine, invaded by Russia in February 2024, and an interruption in hostilities between Israel and the Hamas group, which has been waging war in the Gaza Strip since October.
Organizing peace marches is a tradition that dates back to the Cold War period in Germany. The protests reached their peak between the late 1960s and early 1980s. At that time, nearly 300,000 people protested each year against the arms race between the US and the former Soviet Union.
The leaders of Germany's coalition government, some from parties with close traditional connections to that movement, also issued Easter messages seeking to reconcile their desire for peace with policies of supplying weapons to Ukraine, which is waging a defensive war against Russia and the recent increase in German defense spending.
They also called on protesters not to “confuse victims with perpetrators” in Ukraine, or pit groups against each other amid the conflict in Gaza during their marches.
According to preliminary figures, more than 10,000 people took to the streets across Germany in favor of peace and disarmament.
Olaf Scholz: “There is no peace without justice”
German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz released a video message on Saturday in which he said: “We all long for a more peaceful world.”
However, he said that peace without freedom is synonymous with repression and that there can be no peace without justice.
“That’s why we are supporting Ukraine in its fight for a just peace – for as long as it takes. We are also doing this for ourselves, for our safety,” Scholz said.
Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin had violated the principle that borders should not be redrawn with violence.
“But it is in our hands to reaffirm this principle. Continuing to support Ukraine – in a moderate and circumspect way”, said the Federal Chancellor.
Green Party politician and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, whose party has roots in the Cold War-era peace movement, also gave a lengthy video speech on Good Friday in which he recalled the decision made in February 2022 to break up a long-standing party flag and begin allowing the supply of weapons to a conflict zone.
He said he had respect and understanding for those who disagreed with him about sending weapons to Ukraine, whether for religious or political convictions, but not for those who argued that they “confused the victim with the perpetrator” and who “saw Russia as Putin an answer for Germany.”
“We long for peace. Yes. But the sad and honest answer is: It doesn't look like there will be a good, quick end, even if we wish otherwise,” Habeck said.
Given Russia’s aggression and the fact that it has put its economy on a “war footing,” he said: “We must adjust to the threat level. Anything else would be naive.”
He also said Germany and other EU members are right to seek to increase defense spending and capacity in this scenario because “we need to protect ourselves comprehensively, also against military attacks.”
jps (DW, AFP, Reuters, ots)
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