Enlarge image

Motto “Warworthy – Never again”: People at the Easter march in Berlin

Photo: Fabian Sommer / dpa

In many German cities, several thousand people gathered for Easter marches on Holy Saturday. Around 70 events were announced across the country. Saturday is considered the main day of action for the traditional peace demonstrations, which will continue on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

The focus is on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law, and the Israel-Gaza war. The spokesman for the Peace Cooperative Network, Kristian Golla, was satisfied late on Saturday afternoon. The number of participants is about the same as last year, he said.

The events were accompanied by urgent warnings and declarations from top representatives of the federal government and the opposition to continue to support Ukraine militarily in its defensive struggle - also with a view to German security interests.

Focus on Berlin, Stuttgart and Bremen

According to a preliminary overview by the peace cooperative, the number of participants across Germany was more than ten thousand people. Most of them therefore gathered in Berlin. The initiative there had around 3,500 participants, followed by Stuttgart with around 2,000 and Bremen with around 1,000 participants. According to information, around 700 people came to Cologne and 500 to Munich.

The numbers largely corresponded to those of the police, who spoke of around 3,500 participants in Berlin but only around 300 in Bremen.

The demonstrations called for negotiations and diplomatic solutions in the Ukraine and Gaza wars and a stop to arms deliveries. Participants in the demonstration in Berlin showed signs with the inscriptions “Friendship with Russia – Viva Palestine” and “Genocide in Gaza”. Others turned against the federal government. Russian and Palestinian flags could be seen.

Scholz: Do the same for our security

“We all long for a more peaceful world,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in a video message published on Saturday. But peace without freedom means oppression, there is no peace without justice. »That's why we support Ukraine in its fight for a just peace - for as long as it is necessary. We also do this for ourselves, for our safety.«

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) also published a video and said, "We support Ukraine not just out of solidarity or compassion, but in the interests of Germany and Europe." Putin wants to destroy the unification and unity of Europe. If he succeeds in his war in Ukraine, he will continue.

»We long for peace. Yes. But the honest, bitter answer is: There probably won't be a quick, good end, even if we wish otherwise," said Habeck. In view of Russian aggression, he emphasized: “We have to prepare for the threat situation. Anything else would be naive.”

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) told the newspapers of the Funke media group that reality cannot be ignored. »If Ukraine can no longer defend itself because we don't supply it with enough weapons, Putin's troops will be at the Ukrainian-Polish border tomorrow - just eight hours' drive from Berlin. Ukraine also ensures our peace.«

Lindner: Putin wants power over us

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner also warned of a decline in support for Ukraine. »Our peace and our freedom are threatened. Putin is not just concerned with Ukraine, he wants to change the order of peace and freedom in Europe," said the FDP leader to the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger". »He wants power over us to control our way of life and our wealth. Anyone who gets tired of supporting Ukraine because it is too strenuous or too expensive should consider the consequences. The threat of war would come closer to us.”

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz wrote in his weekly email to his supporters that demonstrating for peace was anything but reprehensible. »We all want peace and, above all, freedom for our country and for all of Europe. But we still have to talk about the conditions for a lasting peace, and peacefulness alone is not a sufficient answer." Peace could reign immediately if Putin kept the guns silent.

“It would therefore be very desirable that the Easter marchers this year would primarily address Putin and his regime in Moscow and call on him to immediately end the war of aggression against Ukraine,” wrote the CDU leader.

“Freezing” the war is not an option

Both Habeck, Baerbock, Lindner and Merz opposed a possible freezing of the war in Ukraine. SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich brought this up as an option and drew criticism.

»For Ukraine it is about its existence as a state. And for people it is often about sheer survival. You can’t freeze a situation like that,” said Lindner. He asked a counter question: "How would it affect us if the French National Assembly were to consider freezing a conflict if the enemy were in Chemnitz?"

Former Federal President Joachim Gauck told the editorial network Germany: "Freezing didn't work with the Minsk Agreement in 2014." It would bring profits for Putin, he would keep conquered land, could rearm in peace and then strike again.

irb/dpa