German protestors demand government stop military supplies to Kiev

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Mar 13:54
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The protestors in Berlin called on their government to promote peace by negotiating with Russia and stopping weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

A demonstrator displays a placard (R) reading: "Diplomats instead of grenades" as protesters attend an anti-war rally in Berlin, on February 25, 2023. (AFP)

Germans took to the streets of Berlin on Sunday to protest against ongoing military support to Ukraine, calling on their government to engage in dialogue with Russia to achieve peace.

The demonstrators held banners saying, "You don't defend freedom with war," "Peace now! Without weapons!”, and "Diplomats instead of grenades".

"They must negotiate diplomatically; they must negotiate honestly with compromises from both sides. That is the case if you want peace,” one protester said.

“You do not send weapons in this case to kill people. People are being killed any moment here - well, not here, but there, with the weapons that are being funded here. And I am ashamed of that."

Another protestor considered that "If arms supplies continue to happen, however, the war will be prolonged by months or a year even. According to information I have, 300,000 people died - 150,000 on each side."

German law enforcement intervened after a counter-protest was held in response to the anti-war marches to prevent a possible escalation of the situation.

One of the callers for the protests to stop the armament of Ukraine was German political party dieBasis.

Several European countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, and the UK., have witnessed in recent months demonstrations against prolonging the war in Ukraine, calling on their governments to stop sending arms to Kiev and negotiate with Moscow.

On the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine - February 24 - almost 10,000 Germans protested in the streets of Berlin against their government's policies Russia, demanding it to talk directly with Moscow.

Earlier this month, over 2,000 people took to the streets of the northern Spanish city of Bilbao as part of a march in support of peace with Russia.

The protesters underlined that they were against NATO’s strategy, military support for Kiev, and the increase of EU countries’ military budgets. They also called for the redistribution of these resources for social spending and support for the population due to rising prices for electricity, basic products, and services.

"Russia has been striving for peace since 2014. But the West leaves Russia no other choice. For this reason, we express our solidarity with Moscow," a representative of one of the organizing parties said.

Earlier in March, Belgian media reported that the EU had developed a plan to stimulate the supply of NATO standard ammunition to Ukraine, both in the short and long term, and had prepared proposals to replenish the arsenals of the European armies through increased production and joint procurement.

The first part of the plan to increase military supplies to Kiev involves an urgent dispatch of ammunition that is already in stockpiles. The second part envisages efforts to replenish the empty warehouses of the European armies. The plan could be approved at the upcoming EU summit at the end of March.

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