On October 3, one of the most massive demonstrations under the slogan "Never again war!" was held in Berlin. The event was organized by the alliance of the same name, which regularly holds similar actions. According to police data, 10,000 people participated in the protest, according to the organizers - about 30,000.
There were several accents: criticism of the sending of military support to Ukraine and Israel, calls for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as well as for an end to the war in Gaza. The demonstration was also directed against the deployment of American medium-range missiles in Germany.
A conduit for the Kremlin's interests
The most prominent speaker, just like at previous actions of this kind, was Sarah Wagenknecht, who spoke on behalf of her left-wing populist party “Sarah Wagenknecht Union (SWU). This party, founded at the beginning of the year, performed very strongly in the 2024 elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. There it received between 12 and 15 percent of the vote, which will probably allow it to even enter local governments.
For Wagenknecht, the topic of the war in Ukraine was also key during the elections, although foreign policy issues are not within the competence of the individual states. The “Peace Plan“ Wagenknecht's speech actually means a call to Ukraine to surrender, and speaking of the "compromises without which the war cannot end", she only lists the concessions that Kiev must make - say her critics. Because of this, Wagenknecht's party is considered one of the most influential conduits of the Kremlin's interests in Germany and Europe.
No criticism of Putin
In her speech to those present at the rally, Sarah Wagenknecht expressed words of gratitude to the first president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, without whom, as she reminded, the unification of Germany would not have been possible. “And where are we today, 30 years later? "Again, in a world that is burning, in which a major war is looming in the Middle East, in which the terrible war in Ukraine has been raging for two and a half years," Wagenknecht said polemically.
Once again, she did not blame Putin for the aggression in Ukraine, but only said that "everyone who starts a war is a war criminal." At the same time, she spoke out against double standards: "If Putin is a criminal, who are the American politicians who are responsible for the numerous wars of recent years?" Wagenknecht asked rhetorically.
A counter-demonstration of Ukrainians took place very nearby, a few hundred meters away, who sharply criticized Wagenknecht and the organizers of the rally for their approach. "They do not call Putin and Hamas the driving forces of war and aggression. This is a disgrace.“
“Kiev's right to self-defense“
Before the “pacifist“ rally, foreign policy expert of the ruling Social Democratic Party in Germany, Ralf Stegner, also spoke, explaining that his participation in the action did not mean agreement with the positions of the other speakers, that he was ready to hear different opinions and that the topic of peace negotiations should not be left to the populists.
The Social Democrat called what is happening in Ukraine a “Russian aggressive war“ and emphasized Kiev's right to self-defense. In this regard, Germany's assistance, including military assistance, is of a humanitarian nature, Ralf Stegner emphasized. These words of his provoked the indignation of those gathered, who booed him, but in the end he managed to finish his speech. Speaking about the war in the Middle East, Ralf Stegner managed only to say that Germany "must help defend Israel", after which his speech was again drowned in discontented exclamations.
"Your peace is our death sentence"
The chairman of the foreign policy committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, also from the Social Democratic Party, spoke before the Ukrainian counter-demonstration. "We allowed the "Alternative for Germany" and Sarah Wagenknecht to lure us into a trap. They and their nationalist-populist movement stole the concept of peace. The overly emotional debates have created a dangerous vacuum in which the supporters of Ukraine discredit themselves as warmongers," Roth said. According to him, the supply of weapons to Kiev is not an end in itself, it should help Ukraine defend itself and give it the opportunity to negotiate from a position of strength.
Above the “pacifist“ rally, to which Wagenknecht and Stegner spoke, banners with slogans such as “Diplomacy instead of missiles“ and “End the war immediately - no to the supply of weapons to Ukraine“ were waving. To which the Ukrainian demonstration next door replied: “Your peace is our death sentence“.
Author: Daniil Sotnikov