Rallies for peace

Thousands of people took part in mass demonstrations across seventy German cities, protesting against the constant supply of weapons to Kiev and calling for Russia-Ukraine peace talks to take place as soon as possible

Photo: www.cdnstatic.rg.ru

Demonstrators call on German government to back diplomatic efforts to reach peace, end to weapons supplies to Kiev.
The marches were held as part of peace marches which are held annually in the country on the eve of Easter, as reported by the DPA news agency.
The largest demonstrations took place in Berlin, Bonn, Bremen, Duisburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart. Demonstrators demanded the speedy holding of peace talks on Ukraine, the cessation of the supply of German weapons to Kiev and the modernisation programme of the Bundeswehr. According to a spokesperson for Peace Co-operative Network — the organisers of the marches — over 2,000 people took part in Berlin, and around 1,200 gathered in Hannover.
Speaking in the city of Leipzig, Torsten Schleip, one of the organisers of the marches, commented, “For us, an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations is the best alternative to further arms exports and escalation, up to an exchange of nuclear strikes.”
On the posters carried by the demonstrators, the image of a German Leopard tank was accompanied by the caption: ‘Put the Lion on the Chain’.
Activists carried posters and banners including the words, ‘Co-operation and Friendship with Russia’, ‘Peace — Now’, ‘Diplomacy, Not Weapons’, ‘US and NATO — Get out of Ukraine’, ‘Against Senseless Sanctions, Cheap Energy – Now’, and ‘Tanks Never Bring Peace’. During the procession, the song Katyusha was performed in Russian and German.

Based on the materials of www.euroweeklynews.com