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Demonstrators in Berlin have called for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev, and efforts to end the Mideast conflict
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Berlin to protest against arms deliveries to Ukraine and Israel, while expressing concern about a possible nuclear escalation, according to local media and videos posted on social media.
The rally, organized by various pro-peace and left-wing groups, began on Thursday, coinciding with German Unity Day, which marks the unification of West Germany and communist East Germany in 1990.
Protesters carried banners with the messages “Peace,” “Never again war”, and “Diplomats instead of grenades,” with some messages expressing solidarity with the Palestinians, and calling for an “end to the occupation terror,” in an apparent reference to Israel’s ground operation in Gaza.
Several demonstrators were seen carrying Russian and Palestinian flags. One banner featured a Russian, Ukrainian and German flag with the word “friendship” underneath, while another denounced Olaf Scholz as the “Bomb chancellor”.
Organizers have claimed more than 40,000 people took part, while police have said it was “in the low five figure range,” according to Deutsche Welle. Law enforcement said the protests passed without major incidents.
READ MORE: German chancellor wants to end Ukraine conflict ‘faster’
Left-wing firebrand Sahra Wagenknecht, who leads her own recently formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party, was among the high-profile attendees. Addressing the crowd, she stressed the need for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the Ukraine conflict. “I find it so annoying when people always come at us with their big morals saying you can’t talk to Putin for moral reasons,” she said.
Wagenknecht went on to blast the German government for following the US lead on foreign policy, and warned against the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles in the country.
She also addressed the Israel-Hamas war, saying: “anyone who remains silent about the terrible war crimes in Gaza… don’t tell me that you are moral. This is hypocrisy. This terrible war must also be finally put to an end.”
Germany has emerged as one of the biggest donors to Ukraine, sending tanks, air defense and artillery systems as well as other weapons to Kiev. Russia has repeatedly denounced those shipments, saying they only prolong the conflict.
Berlin also exports a significant amount of war materiel to Israel. Last month, several media outlets reported that German arms exports had been curtailed over concerns that they could violate humanitarian law.