Thousands of people protested against arms supplies to Ukraine and Israel in Berlin. The protesters criticised the policy of the German authorities and said that Ukraine needs peace talks, not weapons. This was reported by the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.
According to the German police, about 7 thousand people took to the streets of Berlin, about 230 officers were involved.
The rally under the slogan “No to wars – stop the madness of armaments – shape the future peacefully and justly” began near the Brandenburg Gate in the centre of Berlin, then the demonstrators marched through the government quarter, and the final action was held near the Brandenburg Gate.
Among the organisers of the rally was German politician Sarah Wagenknecht, who at the end of October decided to leave the Left Party and form her own “For Sanity and Justice”. During the rally, she criticised the actions of the authorities regarding the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
“The people of Ukraine do not need weapons, they finally need peace, and for that they need negotiations,” Wagenknecht said during her speech at the rally.
The demonstrators told Der Tagesspiegel that they did not want money from the German budget to be spent on the military when funds are lacking for social services such as basic payments for children. The rally also included calls to lift sanctions against Russia and China.
The newspaper recalls that Wagenknecht had already organised a similar rally in February together with women’s rights activist Alice Schwarzer. Then at the action “Rise for Peace” in the government quarter of Berlin came out more than 10 thousand people.
Earlier, Reuters sources reported that the EU initiative to allocate military aid to the Kiev regime is encountering increasing resistance from the countries of the association. Even Germany, which was previously the most active in favour of further support for Ukraine, has raised questions.