"Pacific or ready for war?". 120 Easter marches will pass through Germany

natemat.pl 2 months ago
Thousands of people in Germany will join conventional Easter peace marches this weekend. However, the times of the peace movement seem to be passing away, and the government is preparing for mass reinforcement of the country.


Tens of thousands of people in Germany will join about 120 conventional peaceful protests nationwide this weekend. This will happen, even if the future German government led by Friedrich Merz is preparing to spend billions on arming the country and seeks to increase the number of voluntary Bundeswehr recruits by 2031 from the current 83 000 to 203 000.

The German public opinion on war and peace is presently divided: investigation conducted by the Fors investigation institute (in March and April for RTL and NTV media) has shown that while most Germans (54%) fear that the country can be drawn into the war under way in Ukraine, only 1 in six people would be ready to fight for the country.

Various marches and appeals


The Easter marches themselves are very diverse, and each of the 120 protests publishes their own appeals, which contain different demands and pay attention to various conflicts around the world. However, according to Kristian Golla, who helps coordinate demonstrations through the Netzwerk Friedenskooperative peace organization, there are respective key demands common to all.

Here they are: all demonstrations argue "excessive accumulation of arms in Germany and Europe", call for increased diplomatic efforts to end wars "especially those in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip", request the dismantling of all atomic weapons and argue the stationing of medium-range ballistic missiles in Europe.

– I think it's crucial to point out that there are alternatives, that it's not just about dressing up, dressing up, dressing up – is that the right way? – says Golla in a conversation with DW. "I think politicians are trying to offer a solution that is not truly a solution. Is it actual that after Russia took Ukraine, it would take half of Western Europe? I'm not certain that's true.

Golla stresses that the German peace movement is not simply pacifist. “There are those who mostly do not argue the usage of violence,” he says. – The intent of the movement is to ask questions: What conflicts be and how can they be solved? Can conflicts be resolved only militarily, or are there another solutions?

Difficult Times for Pacificists


Olaf Müller, a pacifist and prof. of doctrine at Humboldt University in Berlin, believes that the German peace movement has been at 1 of the lowest levels for decades.

– I think the peace movement is demoralized," DW said. – 1 of the reasons is that if you now go out on the streets against militarism, you will immediately be charged with playing Putin's hand.

It is surely actual that despite the protests that will take place this week, the German peace movement has experienced a drastic decline in interest since its glory in the 1980s. Then this cold war slow came to an end, and freedom movements spread throughout Europe.

For example, in 1983, about 4 million Western Germans signed the alleged "Apel from Krefeld", demanding that the West German government retreat its promise of allowing medium-range ballistic rocket stationing in the country – 1 of the key demands of Easter marches this weekend.

There is simply a good reason for this: Germany is becoming more and more afraid of war, not only due to fresh events in the White House. “The Germans are afraid now due to the fact that they are no longer certain that the safety warrant contained in the NATO Treaty will survive,” says Müller.

Müller believes there are applicable alternatives to military defense. He argues that if Germany were to reconstruct military service, people should have an alternate to training in peaceful civilian opposition and civilian disobedience. any Ukrainian cities and residents did indeed practice specified methods against Russian invaders.

What happened to the peace movement?


Annette Ohme-Reinicke, a sociologist from the University of Stuttgart and the author of a book on the past of social movements, believes that the German peace movement has been weakened by another worries since the end of the Cold War, erstwhile society began to "turn its eyes away" from the question of war and defence.

Meanwhile, as he claims, Germany has become far more absorbed in social affairs: The difficulties associated with inflation, expanding rents and simply trying to supply for themselves the means to live have caused a sense of unrest among the population, while a more neoliberal economical strategy and associated individualism have undermined overall social movements.

- I'm sorry. This is simply a completely different temper than in the 1960s and 1970s," he says. "I think it has made the population more susceptible to issues that origin fear and make them feel they must join 1 or the another side.

Ohme-Reinicke besides claims that there is an expanding gap between government concerns about national safety and public concerns about their own security. “I think that trying to bridge this discrepancy is now a immense task for the peace movement,” he adds.

Polarization kills peace?


At the same time, Ohme-Reinicke sees the failure of the German culture of debate and greater polarisation, which has led people to increasingly fear that they will be stigmatized if they join the peace demonstrations.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that the alternate to Germany (AfD), which according to the latest polls supports a 4th of all voters, has adopted a more pacifist stance towards Russia, and fewer people in the traditionally left-wing peace movement in Germany do not want to be associated with the utmost right.

For Müller, a cautious approach to what Germany is investing in would be key. If Germany needs to buy weapons, it should be as defensive as possible: air defence systems, reconnaissance technologies, logistics that will supply Germany with the chance to decision defence troops to the east NATO border.

Politologists Klaus Schlichte and Stephan Hensell of the University of Bremen call for reflection: "As outrageous as it may seem at the moment, anyone curious in Europe's stableness will gotta start reasoning about launching a fresh disarmament process right now. The fast adoption of carte blanche for reinforcements should be a reason for all experts to consider specified safety dilemmas. It would be a historical mission to investigation peace," they wrote in the German paper "Frankfurter Rundschau".

Written by Ben Knight | Monika Stefanek


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