Former German President: Willing to take up arms if Berlin comes under attack

Former German President Joachim Gauck warned against false pacifism, and stated that he might take up arms himself if necessary, against the backdrop of the Russian war on Ukraine.

Gauck told the program of the famous German presenter "Marcus Lantz" on the second channel of German television (ZDF), in response to a question whether it was possible for Gauck, as a former priest, to carry a weapon: "I wish I did not have to, but I might do it in this case (if Berlin was attacked).

In his remarks, which were broadcast late on Wednesday evening, Gauck described a pacifist approach to personal life as "honorable", but in general, an approach that "does not lead to good, and may reinforce the dominance of villains, criminals and inhumans."

And the former German president warned against "submission to the unscrupulous," and said, "The unscrupulous do not ask whether it is right or not to take up arms to carry out his demands," explaining that this is only what people of conscience do.

Gauck called for solidarity with Ukraine, describing it as a "victim", and said that given the potential economic consequences of the Ukrainian war for Germany (in terms of gas supplies) the situation could be tolerated if we had to lower the temperature somewhat when heating in winter.

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