Thousands of people across Germany on Saturday called for negotiations to stop the war in Ukraine at the traditional Easter marches by the peace movement.
The Peace Cooperative Network said there were actions in about 70 cities, including Berlin, Bonn, Bremen, Duisburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.
The rallies also demanded an end to German arms exports to Ukraine, which was under attack from Russia, and a renunciation of the announced rearmament of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.
According to estimates by the organisers, who did not have a final nationwide overview in the afternoon, said about 2,000 people took part in Berlin alone, while 1,200 in Hanover and several hundreds each in Bremen, Munich, Cologne, Mainz and Leipzig.
The police said there were 1,500 participants in Berlin.
In the call for the Easter March in the Rhine/Ruhr region it was said that the German government and European Union must seriously strive for “peace negotiations without preconditions”.
It also said no to the delivery of tanks and other heavy weapons that could escalate and prolong the war.
The Bonn appeal said: “Even if Ukraine has the right to defend itself, more and heavier weapons are not a solution, but are fuelling this war.”
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbouring country at the end of February 2022.
Banners and placards in Berlin had phrases like “Peace, heating, bread instead of weapons, war and death” and “NATO is the aggressor – peace with Russia”.
Nationwide, more than 120 actions were planned from Thursday to Monday, according to the Peace Cooperative Network. (dpa/NAN)
