On the Day of German Unity, October 3, the alliance “Never Again War” is calling for a major demonstration for peace and against arms deliveries in Berlin. In the call, the organizers warn of a “major war” in Europe, “Escalation spirals” in Gaza and Ukraine, the reintroduction of conscription and the use of nuclear weapons.
There are prominent names on the list of speakers at the controversial demonstration: Sahra Wagenknecht, chairwoman of the alliance of the same name (BSW)is expected as the keynote speaker. Also mentioned are the Member of the Bundestag Ralf Stegner (SPD)Peter Gauweiler (CSU) and Gesine Lötzsch (Left).
The organizing initiative, which includes union leader Rainer Braun and BSW politician Ralf Krämer, has registered 25,000 participants with the police. The demo will therefore be divided into three groups, star-shaped, starting at 12:30 p.m. in the direction of Grosser Stern, where the final rally will take place from 2:30 p.m.
Call reads like the BSW party program
The call for the demonstration reads like the BSW’s party program – and the rally is accordingly controversial. While there is a warning against arms deliveries to Ukraine, Russia is not mentioned as an aggressor in the text. Instead, the federal government is “accelerating the escalation by allowing (weapons) to be used against Russian territory.”
Criticism of the demonstration came from the ranks of the government parties. Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth (SPD), wrote on the platform X: “It is a disgrace that not a single word is used to brand Russia and Hamas as warmongers.” Peace without freedom is “arbitrary.”
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The FDP MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. She wrote with regard to Stegner’s planned appearance: “This is how you really damage your party and government.”
Stegner himself also justified himself on X in a long post, saying that he was not appearing with “anyone” and would represent his position as a social democrat. There were other speakers whose opinions he did not share at all and various calls whose content he did not adopt in any way, Stegner continued. “As long as fascists, anti-Semites and racists are excluded, I can tolerate diversity of opinion.”
However, he did not justify his participation in the demonstration: Instead, he rejected the “blanket slander” of the demonstrators as “Putin friends”. “Anyone who rejects the position of the populists must be happy about diversity”.
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Connections to the Corona denial spectrum
Criticism also comes from the peace movement itself: The German Peace Society – United War Opponents (DFG-VK), for example, clearly distanced itself from the demonstration and the initiative behind it in a statement. In addition to the lack of criticism of Russia, the federal association of the DFG-VK accuses the organizers of not standing up for the right to asylum and protection for people affected by war.
In addition, the DFG-VK warns against the appropriation by politically right-wing forces and supporters of the conspiracy ideology scene. This was already the case at the last Demonstration of the initiative “Never Again War” in November could be observed, the statement says. At least one person from the circle of organizers is also connected to the Corona denial spectrum.
Critics also expect anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements on October 3. The call for the demonstration announces “speeches on the Gaza war.” At the demonstration in November, a speaker, the musician Pablo Miró, Among other things, he relativized the Shoah by comparing it with the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Miró is also scheduled to appear again at the current demonstration.
