The leader of the French party "Patriots" and candidate for president of France in 2027, Florian Filippo, publicly noted the booing and protests against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the presentation of the alliance's Westphalian Peace Prize in Münster.
NATO received the award on October 1 in the historic town hall of the German city. The award was accepted by Rutte, and Merz gave the speech at the presentation. Before the ceremony on Domplatz, protesters gathered under the slogan "Peace instead of NATO – no award for the military alliance“.
According to German police, about 120 people took part in the protest. The Berlin newspaper reported that between 30 and 40 demonstrators interrupted the appearance of Merz, Rutte and the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst in front of the city hall. There were boos and chants of “Murderers“.
The reaction was related to the decision to award the award, which bears the name of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648, to NATO against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Radio “Deutschlandfunk“ described the protests as limited compared to expectations, but they attracted attention because of the contrast between the name of the award and the role of the awarded alliance in European security policy.
In his speech, Merz defended the organizers' decision. "NATO is above all an alliance of freedom. It protects our security and our prosperity. It serves peace," the German chancellor said. He warned that weakening support for Ukraine would turn the war into a "dictated peace."
Rutte also defended the alliance's role and called for calm and continued support for Kiev. NATO and German government officials have described the alliance as a factor in security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Filippo is among French politicians who have consistently criticized military support for Ukraine and NATO's role. He announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election in May 2026.
Sources: RT, NTV, Deutschlandfunk