Berlin to ban Russian flags on Victory Day
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Germany has prohibited the display of Russian flags, banners, military uniforms, and the deeply revered St. George's ribbon.
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People attend a wreath laying ceremony to celebrate the Victory Day at the Soviet War Memorial at the military cemetery in the Treptower Park in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP)
Berlin will ban Russian flags and symbols at major Soviet memorials during Victory Day events on May 8-9, according to a Berliner Morgenpost report citing local officials.
Berlin authorities informed the newspaper that a blanket ban is being drafted to prohibit Russian flags and remembrance symbols at the Treptow, Mitte, and Pankow war memorials.
"The police in Berlin will again issue a general order prohibiting the display of Russian flags and banners on Victory Day,” the report highlighted, adding that the decision aims to prevent “violence and the associated propaganda,” a police spokesperson told the Berliner Morgenpost.
The Russian Embassy condemned the restrictions as "discriminatory", accusing Berlin of hindering "historical reconciliation" while calling for "the immediate reversal of all related prohibitions".
The new measures follow similar restrictions imposed last year, when Berlin prohibited Soviet Union, Belarusian, and Russian flags along with wartime anthems.
The ban also covered all Russian-affiliated flags, military uniform pieces (including modified versions), and the St. George's ribbon: a cherished memorial symbol in Russia and other ex-Soviet states.
In 2023, when activists challenged a similar ban in court, a German court initially ruled in their favor and partially suspended the restrictions, but police later overturned the decision and reinstated the full prohibition.
Earlier this week, Bild reported that officials in Brandenburg are planning to expel Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev from a ceremony commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany, although Nechayev, despite the threats, has vowed to honor fallen Soviet soldiers.
According to the tabloid, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, along with Brandenburg’s minister-president Dietmar Woidke, intend to prevent such appearances.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the move, stating that it exposed the organizers' "deep-rooted Russophobia," while Zina Schonbrunn, a member of Brandenburg’s regional parliament, described the exclusion of Russian participation in the 80th-anniversary Victory Day events as "absurd."
