Thousands of German pacifists protest war in "Easter marches"

On April 15, campaigners across Germany have been on the streets to take part in the annual Easter tradition of marching for peace. Protesters called for, among other things, an end to arms exports and uranium enrichment for weapons. The rallies were first held during the Cold War in 1960s to protest the buildup of atomic weapons.

The participants of the protests, among other themes, recalled in their speeches and slogans the hostilities in Ukraine, demanding to stop the senseless massacre on which inhumans make profit.

"In Berlin, more than a thousand people took part in the action, in Stuttgart - two thousand, in Munich - about a thousand, according to AFP news agency referring to police data." In total, about 50 "marches" were held in the country, reported organizers. Peaceful actions were announced on Easter Sunday," the message says.

Speakers at the "Easter marches" criticized, among other things, the intention of the NATO member countries to spend two percent of GDP on defense, the policy of the German government on arms exports and the increase in the defense budget planned by US President Donald Trump.

Head of the Catholic peace movement Pax Christi Wiltrud Rösch-Metzler in his speech mentioned the war in Ukraine. "We are not indifferent to the fact that wars and conflicts in Syria, Israel and Palestine or in Ukraine do not end, and therefore we remind the German government of the need to work for political solutions," he said.

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