With soft tones and a monotonous voice, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) did not get far at the rally of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in Düsseldorf.

He felt almost compelled to yell at a wave of protests, as some people see his Ukraine policy as too hesitant, while others see the recently decided delivery of tanks as a direct route to a third world war.

The old slogan "Make peace without weapons" echoed back at him.

And Scholz disagreed.

Heike Schmoll

Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.

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In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine, radical pacifism is no longer up to date: "I respect every pacifism, I respect every attitude, but it must seem cynical to a citizen of Ukraine when he is told to stand up against Putin's aggression without weapons defend," said the Chancellor.

"It's out of time."

Germany will not allow "borders to be moved by force and a territory to be conquered".

Therefore, Ukraine will continue to be supported with money, humanitarian aid and weapons.

“I make my decisions quickly”

He was grateful that there was so much support in Germany and also "in this square, despite some who called in," he said to those who insulted him as a warmonger during the speech.

In a conversation with the newspaper "Bild am Sonntag" he had previously invoked his leadership and said: "I make my decisions quickly - and coordinate them with our allies.

I am suspicious of hasty action and German going it alone”.

At the DGB rally, Scholz promised that the traffic light government would stick to other projects despite increasing defense spending.

"We will not end any of our projects that we want to launch for a more just and solidary society in this country," said Scholz.

As an example, he named the basic child security, the increase in the disability pension, the increase in the minimum wage to twelve euros and the construction of affordable housing.

Overall, the DGB rallies on May 1 were dominated by the Ukraine war.

The chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation, Reiner Hoffmann, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "end this inhuman war immediately" and warned against permanently increasing the military budget and neglecting the welfare state.

"We say no to massive rearmament," because the money is needed for future investments in the transformation and for the efficiency of the welfare state.

Military peacekeeping must not be at the expense of social peace.

Hoffmann promised the people from Ukraine solidarity and help.

"Now it is also important that the qualifications of the refugees are recognized unbureaucratically".

However, he warns all employers who think they can employ refugees “at lousy wages and terrible working conditions”.

The victims of the misery and misery of the war should not be "exploited by unscrupulous capitalists".

It also cannot be "that employers are now loudly calling for wage restraint," said Hoffmann.

Many companies are even profiteers from the crisis and are currently introducing "heavy extra profits".

The DGB is in solidarity with the unions, “who will try to secure real incomes in tough collective bargaining in the coming weeks and months.”

Around 20 demonstrations were registered for Sunday in Berlin, and the police said they had 5,500 officers on duty.

Even before the rallies began, consistent action against violent criminals from the left-wing autonomous scene had been announced.

The left-wing autonomous rally was scheduled for Sunday evening in Neukölln.

Out of concern about anti-Semitic incidents, the police had banned a planned demonstration by Palestinian initiatives.

Courts upheld the decision.

Thousands gather at rallies

Nevertheless, the police expected further rallies, especially since a block of migrants of Turkish and Arabic origin had announced their participation in the May demonstration as “Migrantifa”.

Possibly inflammatory Arabic slogans should be translated and checked by interpreters.

At a feminist demonstration in Prenzlauer Berg on Saturday evening, paint bags were flown, windows were thrown and pyrotechnics were detonated.

A total of thousands gathered in numerous German cities on Sunday.

At the central rally at the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday, the governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) was booed and an egg was thrown at her, which the politician only just missed.

She didn't break off her speech, just shortened it.

She was "finished anyway," Giffey said.

The crowd had loudly demanded that the Berlin referendum on the expropriation of housing companies be implemented.

Riots broke out in the Connewitz district of Leipzig on Sunday night.

Demonstrators had erected a barricade and set it on fire.

When the police arrived, objects were thrown at the vehicles.

Several service vehicles and two parked cars were damaged, it said.

At least one building had been contaminated by bitumen.

The police are investigating a serious breach of the peace.